Amber Leaves
by bored411
Summary: I died. By cement bag...but how the heck did I end up here, helping Haruhi fish out her bag from the fountain? One incident, and now Kyoya wants me as a host to keep her secret! I'm horrible with people! Guess that just mean's I'll make his life a living hell. OCx?
1. Author's Note! Important!

**Okay, I know some of you people might not be happy about this, but I feel as though I could make this SO much better, so I'm going to rewrite and repost these chapters this week. I won't remove the story or change the OC too much, but I feel like this fanfic was a bit rushed. Plus, I read this **_**amazing**_** fanfic called ****The Place Promised In Our Early Days**** by ElectricExclamation and (although it's really long) I was totally inspired to make this fanfic better after reading the 46****th**** chapter (in which this author did an amazing job of portraying Kyoya). **

**But I'm rambling. So anyway, I just wanted to let you people know and I'll most definitely have everything rewritten by the end of this week. ALSO! If you have any idea's on who the OC should be paired with let me know. And I'm considering taking Fu-kun out completely or changing it into another animal (like a ferret ^^) so give me your thoughts on that too!**


	2. Chapter 1 remake

**Okay! I've done it! Here is the rewritten first chapter and I'm working on the second right now. They're both going to be a bit longer and more descriptive, but let me know if I changed anything too much. I tried to keep Kohaku in character, so hopefully it works out okay ^^**_  
_

* * *

_Man, my mom would seriously lecture me if she knew I was here._ I couldn't help but think this as I stood in line at the bookstore. I could barely believe what I was doing myself! I mean, here I am going on twenty years old and I'm standing in line waiting to pay for _manga_ of all things. My mother has told me a thousand times how I was too old for these 'backward books', but I couldn't help it! I've been hooked on them ever since our TV company gifted us with the channel Funimation and an anime called Ouran High School Host Club was on. I'd completely fallen in love with the show and every character had my eyes transfixed to the screen no matter how many times I'd seen it. Even now, I had been sitting in an hour-long line waiting to pay for the stack of their books I had in my arms. _Of course, I wouldn't have to wait so long if my boss had just given me my paycheck sooner. Dang closeout sale._

"Next."

Stepping up to the counter, I paid with a neutral expression on my face despite the looks the cashier was giving me. Apparently, books with the words 'Host Club' weren't exactly the proper material for someone with my age and face. That's right. Lucky little me, being born a girl, was _wonderfully _blessed with more masculine features than the petit figure my sisters had. Practically crushed my mother's soul when I told her I was never going to wear the dresses she wanted me to.

I sighed at the thought as I left the store, pulling out my ipod and took my red and black skull candy headphones off my neck, and placing them over my ears. Searching through my song list for a song that would get my mind off things, I didn't notice the scrambling men in the construction site ahead of me. The familiar tune of 'C'mon' by Panic! At The Disco & Fun filled my ears.

"_It's getting late, and I_

_Cannot seem to find my way home tonight_

_Feels like I am falling down a rabbit hole_

_Falling for forever, wonderfully wandering alone"_

I chuckled to myself, earning odd looks from passerbys as my thoughts were taken over by my imagination. Being an avid writer, I seemed to do that a lot with songs and lyrics. These first few lines in particular had me wondering about Alice in Wonderland and what it would be like to fall down a hole unexpectedly, entering a new world entirely created out of madness.

"_If I should die tonight_

_May I first just say I'm sorry_

_For I, never felt like anybody_

_I am a man of many hats although I_

_Never mastered anything"_

These lines, on the other hand, had my thoughts whirling and slapping me in the face. Truthfully, I'd never done anything with my twenty years of existence and I felt as though, if I did die, I have never been anyone. _Just a shadow blending in with everyone else I suppose._ My mind began to take a more negative turn as I continued to walk along and I was soon wondering if I was good at anything. _'Man of many hats' yet, I've 'Never mastered anything' The truth of these words astounds me._

Looking back at the bag in my arm, I frowned. I'd been in college for over a year now, taking language after language, but none of them have ever stuck. I've never mastered any of them. _Korean, Japanese, French...Not fluent enough to be any use, but my mother wants me to be an interpreter._

"Che, fat chance."

"_Try not to mistake what you have with what you hate_

_It could leave, it could leave, come the morning_

_Celebrate the night_

_It's the fall before the climb"_

"And yet, even this song has a silver lining."

My depressing thoughts dissipated and I was soon singing along until something knocked me to the ground, the manga books thrown around me. Vision was gone in an instant, followed by feeling, then my sense of hearing but not before I heard a few last lines of the song.

"_So c'mon, c'mon, with everything falling down around me_

_I'd like to believe in all the possibilities"_

If I could've, I would've laughed at the irony. _Possibilities, huh...Seems Alice may have just fallen into Wonderland after all. Hopefully, it's a bit less mad than the actual story._

* * *

"Well, this can't be good."

I was rubbing the back of my neck as I glanced around the elaborately decorated grassy field I was in. Pristine rose bushes were neatly trimmed on one side of me while the edge of a marble fountain peaked out from behind a tree nearby. Putting my hand down, I stood up only for something to race up my pants and under my baggy jersey jacket.

"Ow! Get out from under there!"

I reached down my jacket and pulled out a pure white ferret that had been clawing its way up my chest. _You can't be serious...And here I thought I died or something. Nope. I just woke up in who knows where with a ferret climbing up me. Although, he is kinda cute.__** You did die. You were hit in the head by a falling bag of cement. It was an instant death. No pain...And don't call me cute!**_

I threw the ferret from me, not hard enough to hurt it or anything, but hey, IT TALKED! Then, I fell back down to the ground and scrambled back into a tree pointing at it with my mouth hanging open.

"Y-You talked!"

_**Yes. Now shut up and listen. You can call me whatever you feel comfortable with since I will be guiding you on this…journey. But, you will only be able to hear my thoughts if there is something I feel like telling you. Understand?**_ I nodded, trying to wrap my head around the situation I was currently in.

_I'm dead...I'm dead, I'm dead, I'm dead, I _died_. Holy crap. And now this-this _thing_-_**I'm not a thing!-**_is going to help me? Okay. Relax. At least I have help. He's better than nothing, I guess. What's more important, is where the heck am I?_ Standing up, I brushed off my baggy cargo shorts and picked up the ferret, holding it in front of my face as I smirked.

"I think I'll call you...Fu-kun. Since you're so negative~" **(AN: Fu apparently can stand for the word negative according to google translate)**

He scratched me across the nose and I yelped, a tear resting in the corner of my eye. With a scowl, I plopped him on my shoulders and decided to look for something reflective to see if I was bleeding. Luckily, I remembered the fountain from earlier and headed over towards it, sitting on the edge and glancing over into the water. Sure enough, there were three beautiful lines going across my nose and I also noticed that I was younger by a good couple of years. What really shocked me though, was my now white-silver hair.

"Fu-kun! What happened to my hair?"

_**You did die and taking you to this realm has some side effects. Including reduced age, primary language changing, change in hair and/or eye color, and the possibility of near or far sightedness.**_ I scowled even more as the ferret hopped off of me and onto the fountain's edge, when I spotted something bright yellow out of the corner of my eye. I stood up, ignoring Fu-kun for the time being, and called out to the auburn headed stranger only for them to run off, leaving a bag and a bunch of books soaking in the fountain water. I couldn't quite place where I'd seen this happen before, but I felt pretty bad about just standing here and letting someone's personal belongings get ruined.

_**Not to mention letting the culprit get away.**__ Shut up. No one asked you. _Frowning a bit, I plucked him off the edge and tossed him in the water laughing as he came out sopping wet.

"Not so high and mighty now, eh grumpy?"

Of course, the next moment he got, he jumped at me and attacked me. By the time I got him off, a few more scratches had joined my face as well as my hands and he was soon sunning himself on the fountain. _And here I thought ferrets liked water.__** Only on our own terms. I do not appreciate being tossed into a filthy fountain.**_ I rolled my eyes and placed my jersey jacket next to him, while pulling up the sleeves of my pants and wadding in the water to pull out whosever books these were. Part way through, I heard someone shout from one of the windows and paused in my work to glance up.

"Ah! I'm sorry! You don't have to do that, I'll be right there!"

A familiar brown haired, doe eyed _girl_ dashed away from the window and I turned to Fu-kun in shock. It was then that I realized what had happened. I died and somehow ended up in Ouran High School Host Club. My obvious shock was interrupted when Haruhi ran up and began profusely apologizing.

"I'm so sorry. You really don't have to do this. I can take care of it."

Blinking out of my trance, I waved nonchalantly at her over my shoulder and continued to pull things out of the water.

"Nah, it's fine. I don't mind helpin' out."

She sighed and rolled up her own sleeves before joining me in the retrieval of her things. Stopping only once to see what she had left to find, she must have realized something.

"You're not from around here, are you?...And what happened to your face?"

I stopped what I was doing and gave her an odd look, which probably scared her, because she began apologizing again.

"Ah! I'm sorry. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to! I-I just-"

"Relax! Fu-kun decided to be a grump so I tossed him in the pond to get him off his high horse. Needless to say, he didn't really like that and personally extracted his revenge on my face."

I scratched my nose, a bad habit I got from a friend of mine, and when she asked who Fu-kun was I pointed to the still wet ferret who was stretched out on the fountain's edge sunbathing and she sweat dropped, shaking her head with a small smile at the sight. After informing me that all we needed to find now was her wallet, Haruhi and I returned to the search without noticing someone coming over until he hit Haruhi on top of her head.

"Hey, peasant! What a nice hobby you have. Skipping club activity and playing in the water?"

I smirked to myself, instantly recognizing the rambunctious blonde but continued to search through the waters as Haruhi and him had a chat. It was then that the rustle of clothes got me to look up and I froze when I spotted the one and only Tamaki Suoh taking off his shirt and splashing in the water by Haruhi. Water soaked my head from his splash and as it dripped onto my slight flushed face, I managed to compose myself. _Don't go ruining the plot. Tamaki is already Haruhi's._ Grinning when Tamaki pinched Haruhi's cheeks, I hoped to get them to remember that they weren't the only two in the fountain.

"Hey now, no need to splash! I'm already soaked as it is!"

Tamaki immediately paused in his fondling and realized that there was another person watching this whole charade.

"Oh? Haruhi, who is this?"

"This is…um, actually I don't think I've gotten your name. I'm Haruhi Fujioka and this is Tamaki Suoh."

She gestured to Tamaki, a slight flustered look on her face, and I rubbed the back of my neck nervously. I was never really good with people. _Not only that, but I need a new name too. Can't just go with my old one since I'm in Japan now._

"I'm…Kohaku Nishimura…Nice to meet you, Suoh-san, Fujioka-san."

I smiled slightly when a flash of white jumped on my face and shoved me back into the water. Sputtering, I looked up to see Fu-kun smirking from the fountain's edge and Haruhi holding back a chuckle. I sighed and brushed back my dripping wet hair before gesturing to the ferret.

"And that little monster would be Fu-kun."

Tamaki's eyes widened as he stared completely astounded at my little white slinky. I, on the other hand, was more concerned about my sopping wet clothes and as I gazed down at them, I noticed something dark under the water at my feet. Picking it up, I shook some of the water off of it and called Haruhi.

"Hey, is this your wallet Haruhi?"

"That's it! Thanks for your help, Nishimura-san."

"Please, Kohaku is fine."

"Well then, Kohaku-san, please come with us so we can have your clothes cleaned as thanks for helping my darling Haruhi-kun!"

I suddenly thought of something as Tamaki posed, pointing his finger in the air, and we all got out of the fountain. _This should be fun. _Bowing deeply, with my hand over my heart, I spoke.

"If that is what you wish to do…_Your Majesty_."

Sure enough, Tamaki practically glowed with pride and he grabbed Haruhi's shoulders yelling loudly, as she pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Did you hear that? He called me a king!"

I tried not to laugh behind my fist and Tamaki pranced around in front of us, before dashing off to the clubroom to tell everyone what I had said. Grabbing my jacket and wrapping poor Fu-kun in it, I walked over to where Haruhi waited for me with a frown on her face.

"Why did you do that? He's going to be bugging me all day now!"

"Sorry, Haruhi-kun. I couldn't help it. He seemed like the kind of guy who would get excited if I did that."

She gave me a suspicious look and I just smiled, shrugging my shoulders when her face softened with curiosity.

"Kohaku-san, why did you act all shy around Tamaki?"

"Oh…Well, I'm not good with people. I tend to avoid them if I can."

"Really? Why? You seem fine with me."

I went quiet for a moment, petting Fu-kun while trying to think of how to put my feelings into words.

"I'm not sure really. I mean…I had friends, but they just didn't seem like friends. They never called or invited me places. Most didn't even remember my birthday. In fact, I think I even had one that totally ditched me when I had a project that was due the next day. I actually had to do the whole thing over again and present it by myself…Heh, I guess I just don't trust people as easily as I used to. Never letting them in to get to know me, kind of thing. I'm not a psychologist, but I'm sure the reason I do that is because I think I'll be betrayed again so I don't even bother trying. You were somehow naturally easy for me to talk to for some reason, I guess. Know what I mean?"

I turned around to her after realizing that she'd stopped walking. She had her head down, her bangs covering her face, so I leaned forward to try and check on her.

"Haruhi?"

When she raised her head, she looked about ready to cry causing my eyes to widen in disbelief and shock as she finally spoke.

"You shouldn't be so negative. If you try, I'm sure you'll make some good friends. After all, you seem like a great person so far and if you want, I can be your first friend."

She smiled and I slowly began to smile back at her, before ruffling her hair. She reminded me of myself when I was younger...well, younger than I am now. _Ew, I made myself feel old._ I used to be quite like her actually. I was very cynical and straightforward even my own siblings noticed how much I resembled her character in the anime. _Only now it's not an anime. It's my life._

"Thanks, Haruhi-kun. Now come on! We don't want Tamaki to come after us!"

I bent down to the ground and told her to hop on, but she just gave me this look. You know, the one where people think you have two heads?

"What? You don't seem like the athletic type so I was going to give you a ride. You don't want it?"

"N-No, not really."

Smirking evilly, I got and idea. I stood up, grabbed her arm, and flung her over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Then, I started running to the third music room, luckily not getting lost thanks to Haruhi's grumbled directions.

"Do you _really _have to do this?"

"Absolutely! Besides, I want to see Tamaki's face when I bring you in like this!"

She began yelling at me, but it was too late and I kicked the doors to the music room open.

"Tamaki-san! You forgot something~"

"Ah! What are you doing to Haruhi-kun? Put him down this instant!"

I shrugged, putting her down where Tamaki tackled her in a hug. It was then that the other host club members came over, the twins speaking first.

"Who is this, my lord?"

"Looks like another commoner."

"**With odd hair."**

They began plucking at the wet strands of my white hair and I struggled to step away as they asked question after question before I could answer.

"Is it dyed?"

"I don't think so, Kaoru."

"I think you're right, Hikaru, but how did it get this color?"

"I think..."

"...it makes him look..."

"**...like an old man!"**

They grinned devilishly to each other before laughing loudly. I flushed a bit in embarrassment, but Tamaki intervened with a dramatic pose.

"That, is no mere commoner! Kohaku-san is the man who helped Haruhi-kun recover his things and he called me King!"

They all looked at me disbelievingly and I quickly put up a bored expression, picking at my fingernails. It was hard fighting the smirk that would give away my next statement.

"I don't remember calling you that, Tamaki-san."

"B-But! You said—"

"Why on Earth would I call you a king? You certainly don't act like one."

I raised an eyebrow as Tamaki quickly ran off to a corner to grow mushrooms, at which I grinned as the twins came over and laughed until they put their arms across my shoulders.

"Ack!"

"You're wet!"

I looked at them both, a bit more confident than earlier, with a raised eyebrow.

"What? You two didn't notice that when you were playing with my _wet_ hair? Besides, Tamaki-san promised me something to wear until my clothes were clean as thanks for helping Haruhi-kun."

The twins shrugged, bored at this point I'm sure and a bouncy little blonde came over as Glasses headed to the back room; most likely to get me the clothes and possibly a towel.

"Neh, Ko-kun? What's in there?"

It was Honey and he was currently pointing at my bundled up jacket, with Mori coming over to stand behind him. Smiling, I reached into the bundle and pulled out Fu-kun, who looked less than pleased about being forced to leave his warm haven. Honey's eyes quickly widened and he tugged on Mori's jacket, excitedly.

"Look Takashi! It's a f-f—"

"A ferret."

I couldn't believe how deep his voice sounded, but I tried to not let it get to me as Honey continued speaking.

"Yeah! A ferret! What's his name, Ko-kun?"

_He reminds me of my little sisters…only not nearly as evil._

"Fu-kun, since he can be quite negative sometimes."

To prove his point, Fu-kun went to scratch me again so I held him out of range by his scruff. I scowled, but then noticed Honey laughing with a big smile on his face.

"He doesn't like you very much, Ko-kun."

"He's just mad 'cause I tossed him in the fountain for scratching me…um…"

"Oh! I'm Mitsukuni Haninozuka, but you can call me Honey, and this is Takashi Morinozuka, but you can call him Mori!"

"Nice to meet you, Honey-san, Mori-san. I'm Kohaku Nishimura and…actually, could you two do me a favor?" Kneeling down to Honey's level, I mentally chuckled as he got all excited and nodded so fast I thought he'd get whiplash. "Could you take care of Fu-kun and dry him off, while I go change?"

"Uh-huh! I can do that, Ko-kun!"

Nodding, I'd just spotted Kyoya returning with a towel and a bag. Thanking him, I wrapped Fu-kun in the towel and handed him off to Honey knowing that he was in good hands. I then turned to go to the dressing rooms only to find Kyoya standing before me; the glare on his glasses telling me he meant business.

"C-Can I help you, um..."

"Kyoya Ootori, and I have a question for you, sir."

I stuttered, uncomfortable with him for obvious reasons. "W-What?"

"Might I ask what you were doing on campus? You're obviously not a student here, judging by your clothes, and it's not often we get visitors here at Ouran Academy."

_So that's what he was after. Should've known, typical Ootori. Wants to know all the answers, but what do I tell him__**? You'll be attending here, starting next week. Just make something up.**_ I turned to Fu-kun and glared as he was getting pampered, before turning back to Kyoya.

"I was checking out the campus since…I'll be attending this school starting next week…Achoo!"

I sneezed off to the side, rubbing my nose and looking back at him to discover a small smirk.

"You should go get changed, Nishimura-san. Wouldn't want you to catch a cold before you could even begin to attend Ouran, now do we?"

Shaking my head from side to side quickly, I dashed to the changing rooms and closed the door behind me as I released the breath I didn't know I was holding. _Geeze, he's scarier in person. I seriously have to work on my people skills. _Looking in the bag that was given to me, I found the typical boy's uniform and began to strip. Oddly enough, I was wearing tight bandages to cover my chest and boxer shorts. _Okay, that's a bit weird, but whatever._ Then, inside my pants pocket I found my ipod, some headphones, and a small piece of paper with an address on it. _Mine, I hope. Wouldn't want to end up at someone else's house._

I was snapped out of my thoughts by loud knocks on the door and the twins yelling for me to hurry up. Worried that they would somehow force their way in, I yanked on my pants, tie, and the white button up shirt and buttoned up the first few buttons to cover up the bandages before scrambling out the door; the periwinkle coat draped over my arm. Immediately, I noticed how quiet whispering going around the room and looked up to find several blushing girls as well as shocked hosts. Blinking a few times in confusion, I turned to the twins.

"What? Did I tie my tie wrong or somethin'? I thought it was okay."

I glanced down at my tie with worry, pulling a hand through my wet hair and hearing many of the girls scream.

"Kyah! He's so cool!"

"Look at his hair! It's even more beautiful when wet!"

"Is he joining the host club? That would be so cool!"

I blushed a bit at their compliments, earning more, when I then walked over to where Honey and Mori had Fu-kun. The little pest was really soaking up all the attention Honey was giving him and I wondered how many personalities Fu-kun had. _He's always so cranky with me, but with Honey he's acting like a little angel._

"Ko-kun, do you want to eat some cake with us?"

Looking down at the short senior, I thought about it for a moment. _I do really like cake, but Kyoya might use this against me somehow if I don't pay for it. _

"I don't have to pay for it, do I?"

"Nope! I'll pay for it if you want, Ko-kun!"

I nodded and thanked Honey as I sat between him and Mori, who handed the most amazing looking chocolate marble cake I'd ever seen. Picking up the fork, I ate a bite of the cake with a slight moan of pleasure. _Sweet Jesus. I _must've_ died and gone to heaven. This cake is Godly!_

"You really like cake, don't you, Ko-kun."

I grinned as the fork hung from my mouth, before reaching for another bite. I got the fork maybe halfway to my mouth, when I opened my eyes and noticed the trio of girls sitting across from us, looking at me with hearts in their eyes and blushes on their cheeks. Looking down at the cake on the fork and back to them, I realized I was being rude and quickly shove the bite in my mouth and swallowed, opening my mouth to apologize.

"I-I'm sorry. I'm being rude."

They began getting even more flustered, waving their hands back and forth, as I stared down at my cake mentally scolding it for it's deliciousness.

"N-No! It's okay!"

"Yeah! We understand!"

I nervously smiled, their blushes growing, just as the sound of breaking china echoed across the room followed by a scream. _Right! I completely forgot about Ayanokoji! She's the one who I saw at the fountain! _Politely excusing myself from the table, I hurried over to where Haruhi was now sitting; partially soaked from the water the twins had dumped on her and Ayanokoji. I helped Haruhi up and Ayanokoji began yelling about the host club having no proof, so I turned towards her with a hand to my chin in fake thought.

"Actually, I was right by the fountain that Haruhi's stuff was in and I _did _see a young lady with auburn hair running off."

I regretted looking over at her and flinched at the glare she was giving me. _Geeze, I don't even go here yet and I've already made an enemy._ It wasn't long before Tamaki had her thrown out and I smiled to myself as I remembered what happened next.

"Now you have to get a thousand customers!"

Her face was priceless and I sniggered behind my fist until I noticed the look Kyoya was giving me. Paling, I turned away from him and swiftly scooped up Fu-kun in a desperate hope to escape before I could get dragged into a debt. Unfortunately, I remembered that I couldn't leave before changing out of the borrowed clothes I was wearing and _my_ clothes just so happened to be in Haruhi's changing room._ Well, crap. Guess I have no choice, but I might as well make this a bit more fun._ Smiling to myself, I started to make my way over to the changing room but was intercepted by the Shadow King.

"I apologize, but I'm going to have to ask you to leave now, Nishimura-san."

"Oh, I know. I just need to get my clothes and change, then I'll leave."

I mentally chuckled as he pushed up his glasses while trying to find a way to keep me from finding out Haruhi's secret.

"We'll send your clothes to your house if you give me your address, as long as you return the uniform."

I pretended to consider the offer for a second, watching as he glared at the slight upturn of my lips.

"I'd rather not. Knowing me, I'd somehow manage to screw up this uniform and end up owing you. I wouldn't want that. Besides, I just need my clothes. Its just Haruhi in there, so there's nothing to worry about, right?"

I smiled seemingly innocently and began walking back over to the changing room, when the twins came up and wrapped their arms around my shoulders and waist. They spun me around, dragging me the other direction, and started trying to distract me in a more forceful manner than Kyoya.

"You don't need those things."

"Yeah, they're just rags anyway."

Struggling to keep from running away from the twins, I forced myself be continue the confident front I had.

"To you, they may be. As the saying goes though, 'one man's trash another man's treasure.' Although…" _I shouldn't do this, but they don't know the real me so who cares?_ "I would throw those things away if I could stay with the two of you~"

Both twins paled, their grips growing slack, and I took that chance to slip out from under their arms and continue my journey to retrieve my clothes just as Tamaki opened the curtain with a handful of towels. Needless to say, he froze whilst I moved past him and picked up my clothes that were in a bag on the floor, giving Haruhi a wave.  
"Sorry about this, Haruhi-_chan_. I just need my clothes."  
I waltzed out of the changing room, patting Tamaki on the shoulder, before heading to another changing room next to hers where I changed. It was nice having my own space to change for once. I'm used to not having my own personal space with four sisters and a brother. Stepping out, I couldn't help but have a nice laugh at Tamaki's face.

"Wow, Tamaki-san. I don't even go here and I figured it out before you."

Haruhi turned to me with a questioning look.

"How did you find out, Kohaku-san?"

"I carried you here, remember? You're pretty good at hiding it, but I know someone better."

She tilted her head to the side like a confused puppy and I quickly pulled her into a hug. _She's just too cute when she does that!_ Suddenly, the twins who were giving me odd looks pulled her away.

"**You're gay, aren't you?"**

_Looks like they are upset about what I pulled with them earlier._ _Oh well._ Haruhi smacked them both upside the head, about ready to scold them, but I felt like it didn't matter so I stopped her.

"It's okay, Haruhi-chan. I don't mind." I shrugged my shoulders and then remembered the paper in my pocket and how I have no idea how to get to my house. Hating what I was about to do, I pulled out the paper and tried to hand it over to Kyoya. "You think you could give me directions back to my house?"

Pushing up his glasses, I grew concerned for my safety as he smirked connivingly.

"You don't know where your own house is?"

I pulled the paper back out of his reach, stepping back slowly so as to not encourage the beast in front of me to pounce.

"U-Um…you know what? I think I'll just go and figure it out myself."

I spun around on my heel, only to get caught by Mori, who tucked me under his arm, Fu-kun ditching my neck for his shoulder.

"We can't let you go just yet, Nishimura-san. After all, it wouldn't be right for us to let you leave without explaining the consequences of your actions."

"C-Consequences?"

It was my turn to pale and I began struggling against Mori's tightening grip, until I remembered how pointless it was and just fell limp. They all seemed a bit surprised when I did this and Honey came over with his bunny, looking concerned.

"Are you okay, Ko-kun? We just don't want you telling everyone about Haru-chan 'cause then she won't be able to stay and have cake with us."

Nodding slowly, Mori stood me back up, leaving a hand on my shoulder should I try to run again. I felt shameful and embarrassed as I stared at the ground; nervousness creeping in as I wondered what Kyoya was planning. _I just hope it's just chores or something. I don't like dealing with people so sticking me as a host would scare the crap out of me._

"Now that we have your attention, in order to keep you from telling anyone about this we need to keep an eye on you. Therefore, you will now be a host."

"I can't."

His glassed flashed and I flinched, scratching my nose and glancing at Haruhi for help. Luckily, she was willing to help me and stepped forward, placing a hand on my arm.

"Kyoya-senpai, Kohaku-san has a hard time meeting new people and dealing with people in general. Couldn't he just—"

"I don't see how that's a problem."

"I-I'll do anything else! Just…I _really_ don't like talking to people."

I fidgeted and chewed my bottom lip, but Kyoya wasn't budging and, although they looked concerned about me, none of the others were willing to go against him.

"No."

"But Kyoya-senpai—"

"It…It's okay, Haruhi-chan. I-I'll try to figure something out."

I didn't want Haruhi getting into trouble because of my stubbornness and inability to cope with my insecurities, so I took Fu-kun off of Mori and left to figure out where my house was. I didn't even notice when I started running or when my frustration caught up with me and I began punching an alley wall, tears falling down my face from pain and anger while not knowing where I was or how to get home. _Home. That's the key word, it isn't it?_ Fu-kun poked his head out of my jacket and nuzzled my chin in an attempt to cheer me up, but my thought had already began to drift back towards my family and how they were dealing with the fact that I had died. _Mom's probably bawling. Dad's trying to act tough with my brother, while my younger sisters don't even know what happened. It's going to be hard for my mom to watch everyone on her own, now that I'm not there to help watch over my younger siblings…I need to get my mind off of this. I need to do something. Play piano, hit something…sing…_

Now, I don't think I'm an amazing singer. My siblings always tell me I suck, but my mother never complains and my 'friends' actually get excited when I sing. _Might as well though. No one's here to listen anyway._ I pulled out my ipod and turned to the perfect song: 'Secrets' by One Republic. I was immediately pulled in by the melodic cello and began belting my heart out.  
"_I need another story_  
_Something to get off my chest_  
_My life gets kinda boring_  
_Need something that I can confess_  
_'Til all my sleeves are stained red_  
_From all the truth that I've said_  
_Come by it honestly I swear_  
_Thought you saw me wink, no_  
_I've been on the brink, so_  
_Tell me what you want to hear_  
_Something that will light those years_  
_Sick of all the insincere_  
_So I'm gonna give all my secrets away_  
_This time, don't need another perfect lie_  
_Don't care if critics ever jump in line_  
_I'm gonna give all my secrets away_  
_My God, amazing how we got this far_  
_It's like we're chasing all those stars_  
_Who's driving shiny big black cars_  
_And everyday I see the news_  
_All the problems that we could solve_  
_And when a situation rises_  
_Just write it into an album_  
_Send it straight to gold_  
_I don't really like my flow, no, so_  
_Tell me what you want to hear_  
_Something that will light those years_  
_Sick of all the insincere_  
_So I'm gonna give all my secrets away_  
_This time, don't need another perfect lie_  
_Don't care if critics ever jump in line_  
_I'm gonna give all my secrets away_  
_Oh, got no reason, got no shame_  
_Got no family I can blame_  
_Just don't let me disappear"  
_I started crying at this point and couldn't finish the song as the tears tracked down my face. Fu-kun licked them away and I smiled crookedly.

"I know, I know. I need to get my butt in gear and find someone to give me directions so I can get…home."

Standing up, I brushed myself off and wiped the tears away, thankful that my face didn't puff up like others did when they cried. Scratching Fu-kun's chin, I left the alley and managed to find a kind lady who gave me directions on how to get to my new house. Low and behold, my house was actually an apartment…right next door to Haruhi's.

"Lucky me."


	3. Chapter 2 remake

**Sorry about the wait! I totally had crazy life problems what with a new baby coming along and all, but here's the other chapter I have rewritten. I DID change the ending part a bit though. Just gave it some more drama I suppose, but hopefully it to you expectations or better ^^**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club, 'Knives and Pens' by Black Veil Brides, or 'Black and Gold' by Sam Sparro  
**

* * *

I walked back to my apartment with a yawn, my reading glasses slipping down my nose precariously. Seems I had acquired farsightedness due to my little world transfer along with my English switching to Japanese. Doesn't matter though. I was more concerned about going home and getting some much needed rest; lucky Fu-kun was already asleep in my hood.

Sleep was getting harder to come by, now that I had a decent paying job as a novelist. Writing seemed to be one of the only things I could truly do well and I could personally use the extra cash now that I'd joined a boxing gym as a stress reliever. The whole reason I was out so late today was just so I could sign the new contract and get my first deadline. _But then there's the host club. Who knows when I'll have free time if I get involved with them. Not to mention that I still haven't figured out a way to get out of my little hosting predicament._

I sighed, pulling out my keys for my apartment door, only to discover that my door was already unlocked and slightly ajar. Thinking the worst, I gently pushed the door open with my eyes closed in order to brace myself for the chaos that was probably behind my door. Opening my eyes, I staggered a bit and was forced to lean against the doorway as I assessed the mess that had once been my apartment.

The whole building was ransacked. My TV was stolen, as was my laptop with all my rough drafts on it. Things were broken and thrown allover the place. I could see food thrown all over my kitchen floor and walls like the aftermath of a chaotic food fight. Everything around me was then blocked out, including the voices that were now behind me, when I remembered something and began running through the house searching for the one thing that might make this just a little bit better.

You see, when I'd discovered that I lived next to Haruhi earlier this week I also discovered that my apartment was already furnished. Table, futon, food, household appliances, clothes, TV, laptop, everything I needed as well as a gift; an antique typewriter. In that typewriter, there was a letter telling me that an anonymous donor donated everything here. The laptop though, was completely new with nothing on it except a single picture of the family that I'd left behind. I'd quickly had the picture printed and framed, then put in my bedroom. Unfortunately, that picture was the only one I had of my old family now and I prayed that whoever did this hadn't taken it or trashed it in anyway.

Scrambling to toss things out of the way, I found the small picture frame. The glass was cracked and falling out of the wooden frame, but it was safe nonetheless under the shredded fabric that had once been my clothes. Clutching it close to my chest, I started when someone placed their hand on my shoulder. I stared at the person with wide eyes, afraid that the thieves had returned, only to notice the woma-no, _man _that was Ranka/Ryoji Fujioka giving me a concerned look while mouthing something. I had no idea what he was saying as he helped me up and led me out of the apartment and to his, sitting me down at his small table and leaving to get me some tea.

When he returned, I shakily took the cup but didn't drink any of it. I just stared down into the cup watching as the dark liquid rippled from the trembling of my hands. I felt a pair of hands covered mine, and I finally came back to reality.

"Are you okay?"

I nodded mutely; a small action, but I still felt an itch near the corner of my eyes as tears threatened to fall. _I can't cry. I have to be strong like I always am or else my siblings would_- I cut my own thoughts off and realized that I didn't have to be strong anymore, but I needed that. I needed to feel strong. It's who I was and just because I'm in another world doesn't mean I need to change who I am or how I act.

Brushing away the tears that hadn't fallen, I shoved my emotions back into a small dark corner of my mind and looked up to find an officer standing next to Ranka. His uniform was rumpled and it looked like he didn't want to be here. The man probably had a box of steaming hot donuts waiting for him in the cruiser, judging by his potbelly.

"I-I'm sorry, but I don't have any information for you…I'd just gotten home."

The man nodded with a sigh, but still pulled out a notepad and pen.

"Could you tell me what time you left and what has been taken?"

I spotted Ranka glaring at the man out of the corner of his eye, most likely for his rudeness, but I ignored it as I tried to help the man out.

"I left at around 8:10 this morning. My 32 inch Soni television, a black del laptop, and an antique typewriter were taken while everything else was either thrown around or shredded…I-I hope that helps."

"Okay. We'll see what we can do. If you'll excuse me."

He left and the resounding click of the door echoed through the silence of the quiet apartment. I couldn't stand the silence, so I released the teacup from my death grip and stood, bowing to Ranka.

"I-I'm very sorry of inconveniencing you this evening, sir. I'll try not to let it happen again…and thank you f-for the tea."

As I hurried towards the door, he managed to get a good grip on my upper arm and pull me back.

"Wait! You aren't planning on going back there, I'm sure."

The sheer amount of concern he'd put into that statement had it sounding more like a question and I swear I saw my mother standing before me and not the cross-dressing man. Looking down at the floor, I frowned.

"I am, a-actually. I have school tomorrow an-and I should start getting it cleaned up."

"You can't go back there! Why don't you just stay here for a bit? I'm sure it would be better than returning to...that."

He grabbed my shoulders and steered me away from the door as he fretted over me like Tamaki would, when Fu-kun finally poked his head out of my hood, promptly distracting the flamboyant man.

"Aw~ He's adorable!"

"Thank you, but I-I really should go now."

His smile turned to a frown as he realized that nothing was going to keep me from returning to my trashed apartment.

"If you insist…My, you're just as stubborn as my Haru-chan, but you don't have to be strong all the time, you know. Come over if you need anything. My daughter and I would be more than willing to help you out."

His smile returned and I nodded, giving my thanks.

"Thank you, Mr…"

"Oh! Where are my manners? I'm Ryoji Fujioka, but you can call me Ranka~"

"I'm Kohaku Nishimura and this is Fu-kun. M-Maybe we'll come by some other time, Ranka-san. T-Thank you for your concern, once again."

I headed back to my apartment with a wave and began the daunting task of cleaning the food and fixing the rest of my home. _Looks like I won't be getting too much sleep tonight._

* * *

I had woken up late the next morning due to forgetting to set my alarm after collapsing in in the living room the previous night. I had only managed to clean half of my destroyed apartment and, after scurrying to my first class, I probably looked like a mess. My clothes were wrinkled and dirty, my hair was sticking up in odd places, and I was positive that I had bags under my bloodshot eyes which were covered by my reading glasses. I personally didn't think things could get much worse, but the universe obviously loves to prove me wrong.

"Kohaku Nishimura?"

"Y-Yes, sir."

"There is no excuse for your tardiness. Especially on you first day of class! Not only that, but you come to class looking like this? I'll give you a warning for now, but you better step it up. This is unacceptable."

"O-of course. I apologize."

He dismissed me and directed me to an empty seat in the back, forcing me to pass the two hosts that were in my class; Honey and Mori. Luckily, I was allowed to have Fu-kun stay with me thanks to my mysterious donor convincing the headmaster to allow it. He stayed hidden in my hood for majority of the classes, but every once in a while he'd sneak out and lay on my lap. This did get a few looks from students, but I was more worried about the looks Honey was giving me. Something in his eyes just scared me; making me wonder just what he was planning. It was after class that he pounced on me, like a lion attacking a gazelle.

"Ko-kun! We missed you at the Christmas party!"

"C-Christmas party? W-What are you—"

"Uh-huh! Kyoya-kun is very mad about you not coming, so he wanted us to bring you to the host club today! Isn't that great? We can eat cake and I can play with Fu-kun and…"

He just kept going and going, almost like an energizer bunny. I smiled at the thought, until my arm was grabbed and I was being half-pulled, half-dragged by Honey.

"H-Honey-kun! I can't! I don't want to be a host…a-and I really need to get home and finish cleaning my apartment!"

"Sorry, Ko-kun, but Kyoya-kun said you have to go. Besides, we have loads of new cakes you can try!"

I desperately tried to think of what could stop Honey, worried as my options grew less and less. _What stops Honey? Sweets, but I don't have any. His bunny, but there's no way I can get that from him. Mori—That's it! _Turning my head around, I looked at Mori with my best puppy dog eyes and begged for him to help me, but he just silently shook his head. _Should've known. He's probably immune to that after hanging around Honey for so long. _It wasn't long after my failed attempt that we arrived in the music room. Honey finally let me go and the moment he did, I dashed to the door as a last ditched effort to escape only to be captured by the twins.

"Where do you…"

"…think you're…"

"…**going?"**

"H-Home?"

They shook their heads and clicked their tongues, like disappointed parents, before slowly dragging me away from my freedom. I struggled, gripping the tiles and accidentally jostling Fu-kun from his perch. He expertly shimmied down my flailing limbs and jumped away from be, stopping to stare back at me.

"F-Fu-kun?"

His violet eyes locked with mine, before he turned away and jumped onto Honey's lap. My jaw dropped as the twins laughed at my predicament, still dragging me away as I yelled at the beast.

"Traitor!"

I was then tossed unceremoniously into the changing room where an elegant midnight blue kimono was hung up. _Oh crap. I don't know how to put one of these on! Fu-kun, you mangy rat, help me! __**Mangy rat, is it? Enjoy trying to figure out your problem alone. **__Ah! No! I-I was just kidding! Fu-kun! _I groaned to myself now knowing that he wasn't going to help me, when there were knocks on the door.

"You need…"

"…any help…"

"…**Kohaku-san?~"**

Quickly discarding my clothes in a corner of the small space, I wrapped the kimono over my shoulders and stared at the black obi, confused. After debating with myself for a moment, I realized that I didn't have much of a choice. Stepping out of the changing room, I held my kimono closed with one hand and held the obi out to the surprised twins.

"I-I don't know h-how to put this on."

A blush traveled up my cheeks in embarrassment and I quickly tried to hide it with the obi I was holding. I heard the twins chuckling evilly and lowered the cloth slightly to see them inches from my face.

"Aw look, Kaoru. He's blushing~"

"Poor senpai doesn't even know how to tie an obi. What a shame."

They took the obi from me and tied it around my waist, being sure to get their share of teasing in as well. When they finished, I went to thank them but Tamaki attacked me from behind and began to spin me around, scaring the daylights out of me as well as making me dizzy.

"My son is so cute when he blushes! You'll be sure to attract the ladies!"

Things started to get fuzzy and as I was released, I stumbled and waited for the hard contact of the floor. When it didn't happen, I realized someone was holding me up by the waist and I looked up to see a bunch of Mori's staring at me with his normal stoic gaze.

"M-Mori-kun? Why are there so many of you?"

"There's not."

I nodded, causing my vision to spin even more so I put a hand to my head, slowly supporting myself.

"Well, t-thanks for helping me."

"Ah…Eat more. You're too thin."

If I wasn't red before, I was now. Making sure I nodded, I prepared to walk away but Honey grabbed me and took me over to the couch in front of the entrance as Fu-kun climbed up me and curled around my neck. Seems it was time for the host club to let in the guests and as we did, Kyoya also introduced me.

"Welcome!"

"Ladies, this is our newest host, Kohaku Nishimura. He won't be hosting today, but you may register appointments for tomorrow, if you wish too."

_Wait! I was supposed to be trying to find a way out of this! __**A bit late for that, don't you think? **_With a groan, I rubbed my temples to try and calm the headache that was forming. Between lack of sleep, the robbery, my deadline, and this hosting mess I was surprised I hadn't collapsed.

"Nishimura-senpai."

"Ah…sorry. What is it?"

It was Kyoya, less than pleased that I had been ignoring him, but he could suck it. I wasn't in the mood.

"For today, you will be watching and learning from the others. You will be observing Tamaki first."

"Right…and Ootori-kun? Just Kohaku's fine. Nishimura's too formal, I think."

"Of course, Kohaku-senpai. Feel free to call me by my first name as well."

I nodded, waving over my shoulder as I walked to Tamaki's table. Just heading over there I knew it was going to be a long day. I already know what all the hosts do to entertain their guests, but I still had to sit through it all to please the Shadow King. _Maybe I can just ignore them and try to come up with a plan to get out of hosting. What do you think Fu-kun? __**I think you're an idiot and should just deal with that fact that you're in the host club now. **_I scowled at him, when someone spoke to me from across the table.

"U-Um, Kohaku-senpai?"

"Hm?"

It was a fair looking girl with long brown hair and nice soft brown eyes, younger than me by maybe a year or two and she'd managed to steal the attention of Tamaki's other guests.

"Why were you scowling at your f-ferret?"

Nervousness set in as everyone's eyes were on me and I stuttered, standing rather abruptly.

"I-I'm sorry. I have t-to…go."

I hurried away from the table of surprised girls, hearing their muttering and Tamaki's response to my leaving.

"Is everything okay with him?"

"Not to worry, my ladies. He is merely shy and not used to speaking with beautiful women, such as yourselves."

Moving on to the next table, I was upset to find that it was the twins' and promptly sat as far away from them as possible. It's not that I thought their twincest acts disgusting; I just try to stay away from that kind of thing after I'd read a, rather explicit, yaoi manga. Just the mere thought of that had me blushing a bright tomato red and the twins doing they're thing in the background didn't help.

"Of course, it's my job to take off the kimono, isn't it, Kaoru?"

"Hikaru! I'm embarrassed…Not in front of everyone, please!"

Apparently, I had made too much noise trying to get away from their table and they noticed me; the gleam in their eyes making me worried. It escalated when they managed to grab a hold of me and pulled me down to the couch to sit in between the two of them. The idea of a love triangle caused the girls across the table to lean forward in their seats to get closer to the action. I, on the other hand, was not enjoying the situation at all.

"G-Guys? W-What are you doing?"

"Nothing much…" The leading twin leaned closer to my left side, his chest pushing against my arm. "We just thought…"

"…you may need some help…"

This time, the other twin grew closer and he brought his right hand to rest on my leg, just above the knee and slowly creeping higher.

"…**with your obi again."**

My heart was pounding in my ears as they both moved their hands simultaneously to the obi around my waist, tugging on it lightly in a teasing fashion. I kept opening and closing my mouth in a struggle to get words out as their smirks got wider; my back pressing up against the back of the couch as I tried to get away from their prying hands.

"What's wrong?"

"Yeah, what happened to the Kohaku-san we saw before?"

I flashed back to last week when I acted out and all color drained from my face. _They remembered that? What am I going to do? I can't do that here! There are too many people watching._ Biting my bottom lip anxiously, I decided that it was my only choice if I wanted to get away from them so I quickly threw on my mask and began the play.

"The Kohaku-san before, w-wanted the two of you to himself." The twins immediately stopped tugging and stared at me in shock once again, as I turned to the side in as though I was embarrassed. "B-But you wouldn't let me go, so I had to…resort to other methods…"

The girls practically fainted at what I was insinuating, but I had no time to dwell on that when a hand reached into the folds of my kimono. Whichever twin it was, was probably trying to play up the act but he discovered something and pulled it out with curiosity written all over his face.

"What's this?"

In his hand, he now held a small photograph that had wrinkled slightly from being in the folds of my kimono. My eyes widened and I quickly snatched it back, mumbling 'nothing' before replacing it and dodging his arm as I hurried away. They didn't like the fact that I was hiding something from them, so they chased after me as I ducked behind Haruhi and began using her as a human meat shield.

"Kohaku-senpai, what are you-"

"Just help me, Haruhi-kun! The twins are being mean!"

"**What?"**

Glaring, Haruhi stopped them in their tracks and I stuck out my tongue at them.

"You two need to leave Kohaku-senpai alone. He already can't handle people. We don't need you two idiots making it worse."

They began arguing with her and I snuck away, sitting at Honey's table as I relaxed a bit. When I decided to take a risk and look back at Haruhi, I saw the one of the twins handing her a small sweet. The scene made something in my mind click and I groaned. _Oh no. I remember this. This is where Renge comes in! I really don't want to deal with her. My headache's bad enough as it is. _A low grunt snapped me out of my daze, looking up I found a human wall standing in front of me.

"Mori-kun?"

"Ah."

He held out his large hand, grabbing mine and putting a sweet similar to Haruhi's in my palm. Tilting my head to the side a bit, I looked up at him and smiled.

"Thanks. I really enjoy sweets."

I saw one of Mori's rare smiles and flushed accordingly. _Ah! If I'm not careful, all this blushing will give me away. Either that, or everyone will think what like the twins and they'll will think I'm gay…Sad to think I'd rather be considered gay than have people know I'm a girl. _Just then, the door creaked open and I spotted the (other) crazy French watching from the doorway. Sighing, I began counting down in my head. _3...2...1... _

"Don't touch me you phony!"

Grinning to myself, I began to make my way towards the changing room when I was stopped by Kyoya.

"What are you doing? Hosting hours are still going."

"I-I was going to get c-changed. I have a feeling the club w-will be closed early today d-due to our newest guest."

He always made me nervous and I quickly shuffled away as he turned to spot Renge in all her otaku glory. _Though I can't say I'm much better. But, more importantly, what gets me so nervous around Ootori? I mean, sure he has the whole black mail thing but I already know a whole lot about him. If anything, I'm putting money on his secret police force._ The thought scared me, making me shiver as I recalled what was going to happen later at Kyoya's jungle resort. Slipping my clothes back on, I wrinkled my nose in slight disgust at the dirty feeling they had and vowed to get at least another pair of clothes before heading home today. Pulling out my own little black book along with a pen, I walked out of the changing room while I was calculating how a new set of clothes would affect what was left of my monthly allowance (given to me by mysterious donor man). Of course, I wasn't looking where I was going and knocked Haruhi to the ground.

"O-Ow."

I pushed my body off of her a tad, not noticing the compromising position we were in until it was too late.

"Sorry, Kohaku-senpai."

"N-No, it was my fau-"

"Get off my darling Haruhi-kun you devil!"

I was easily shoved off by Tamaki; my glasses in disarray as I blushed and began picking up my things in order to avoid confrontation. Picking myself back up, I realized that the host club and Renge were the only ones left; Renge ranting about who knows what. I headed back towards Haruhi, now that Renge had put him in his emo corner, and properly apologized.

"Sorry about earlier, Haruhi-kun. I should've been paying more attention."

"It's okay, senpai. It's partially my fault for standing right outside of the door, but what were you doing that had you so distracted?"

_Always the blunt one, Haruhi._ Bringing forward the little book again, I began scribbling once again ignoring the scared faces of the other hosts.

"I'm calculating the losses that would occur in my budget if I were to buy another pair of clothes and how much that purchase would benefit me in the future."

Glancing at them from the corner of my eye, I felt my glasses slip down a little and pushed them up with an evil smirk when I saw them all shiver. It was then I remembered Tamaki pouting in the corner. I rolled my eyes, but turned to Haruhi and the twins.

"You want to bet I can make Tamaki happy again?"

Haruhi sighed and denied my request, but the twins were up for the challenge. _Unfortunately for them, I know all their secrets. The only thing I need to work on is telling these two apart._

"Yeah right. There's no way…"

"…you could do that!…"

"…**We'll take that bet!"**

Poising my pen over my book again, I looked back up at them.

"How much we talking about here, boys?"

The two of them huddled together and began whispering before dragging Haruhi in their circle as well. I tried to focus on my accounting, but I couldn't help over hear their conversation.

"_This guy's scary."_

"_He looked just like Kyoya!"_

"Are you guys really going to bet on this? I don't think you should."

"**Shhhhh!"**

Haruhi rolled her eyes and it didn't take much longer before they were back in front of me. Keeping my eyes on the twins, I began to slowly spot the subtle differences between them when the one with the lower voice spoke.

"1000 yen."

"2000."

His eyes narrowed. "1100."

"1700."

I watched with satisfaction as his anger began to show through and I dubbed him Hikaru. "1300!"

"1500. Final offer."

The two of us had a stare down, neither of us backing down, until he finally stuck out his hand in agreement. I shook it, wrote down my profit in my notebook so I could add it up later, and turned towards Tamaki. Kneeling down next to him, I whispered one sentence in his ear and he shot straight up, hugging me before twirling around the room. Some color was added to my face, but I covered it up and returned to the twins with an innocent smile. "Pay up~"

"Fine."

"Ah-ah-ah, Hikaru. 1500 yen each."

I realized my mistake a bit late, but there was nothing I could do now and Hikaru and Kaoru sobered up pretty fast.

"**What? That wasn't the deal!"**

"On the contrary. You said, '_we'll _make that bet' therefore you both need to pay."

They both began arguing with me, but Haruhi and Kyoya came to solve the small dispute.

"He's right, you know. You did say that."

"A bet is a bet and, although I hate to admit it, Kohaku-senpai is correct. You both have to pay."

I personally didn't know why they were fighting over this amount anyway. After all, they were both rich and this wasn't even change to them, but they did pay me. Counting it, I smiled at the thought of some extra cash and gave the two of them a mocking bow.

"Thanks for the business, gentlemen. Now, I suggest we listen once again to Miss Renge before she notices that we've been ignoring her for so long."

The twins gave me a look, letting me know that they hadn't forgotten my correct name calling and we all begrudgingly tuned back in as Renge began her long list of amazing things about Kyoya.

"Being affectionate to the backyard plants, which nobody paid attention to…Kindly stretching his hand out to the injured kitty."

At this point, I started feeling tired and a bit dizzy. _**You're swaying. Are you alright?**__ J-Just a bit dizzy. _I put a hand to my head and began rubbing my temples. My headache was definitely getting worse and was practically a migraine at this point, so I went to go lay down on the couch and catch a nap. My mind was still buzzing though, with thoughts about the cleaning I still had to finish, the things I had to replace, and ideas for my manuscript. I quickly got fed up with everything and put in my headphones and finding a nice loud song to block everything out. _Hopefully, they'll let me go home when I wake up_. I thought as the heavy beat of 'Knives and Pens' by Black Veil Brides began to pound in my head and lull me asleep.

* * *

"Waaaaaaah! Mommy!"

Something solid landed on my stomach and I let out a pained gasp as the offensive object was removed and the room fell silent. With a growl, I sat up and glared at everyone in the room, particularly Honey who was being held by Mori. He began to fidget uncomfortably and snuggled deeper into Mori's chest until I looked down at my ipod and turned the music off. Pulling out my headphones, I noticed something Haruhi was holding and made my way over towards her, freezing Tamaki and the twins as they tried to get between us. Haruhi also appeared to be frozen as I stepped closer to her, gazing longingly at the cookies she was holding. Reaching in, I grabbed one and stuck it in my mouth, not a word uttered by anyone until I finished. She flinched a bit when I set a hand on her head and ruffled her hair.

"It's good."

I felt like Mori, but disregarded it as I grabbed another one and sat back down on the couch; Fu-kun climbing down from my shoulders as everyone in the room breathed a sigh of relief. While I broke a piece off of the cookie for Fu-kun, Tamaki crept towards me and hid behind the couch across from me with just his head peaking over the back of it.

"K-Kohaku-senpai? What's y-your blood type?"

My gaze slowly met with his, causing him to flinch as I yawned.

"AB negative. I'm surprised I get to school at all. I normally don't wake up 'til eleven, but having food right away wakes me up a bit."

I placed the other cookie on the edge of my mouth and just nibbled on the end, staring off into space. Next thing I know, the wonderful view outside the window is blocked by a sea of red hair; the snapping of the cookie echoing around me.

"Hm, you're right. It is pretty good."

Grabbing his tie, I tugged him close to my face with a scowl.

"Did you just eat my cookie?"

"Y-Yeah?"

"Get me another one."

His frightened face dropped and he glowered at me.

"Why should I?"

"'Cause if you don't, I'll strangle you with this tie, gut you like a fish, and string you up to the chandelier until you slowly suffocate to death. _Nobody_ touches my food."

He paled and brought me the whole basket of cookies, satisfying me for now. It was then Honey and Mori came over to me, the former with a cup of milk. He offered it to me and I gladly accepted, slowly coming out of my 'cranky' phase.

"Thanks, Honey-kun, and sorry about scaring you back there."

"It's okay, but are you always cranky when you get up, Ko-kun?"

"For the most part. I-It's not normally this bad though, sorry. I just have a migraine and I haven't been getting enough sleep lately."

"Why not?"

"Mitsukuni."

Honey looked back at Mori before nodding and hurrying off to bother Renge. I thanked Mori and leaned my head back into the couch with a sigh.

"You okay?"

"Huh?" I snapped my head up, regretting it when my vision spun. "Y-Yeah. I'll be okay, but you might want to help Honey-kun before you worry about me."

I smiled a bit and pointed to Honey just as Renge pinched him harshly on the cheek. I chuckled a bit and looked at Fu-kun who was giving me an odd look. _Fu-kun, what are you planning?_ He smirked and my eyes widened significantly as he ran his way under my jacket and shirt.

"Ahaha! No! F-Fu-kun! Get out f-from there! I-It tickles!"

I flopped down onto the couch, reaching under my shirt in order to get a hold of the little demon without noticing how all eyes were on me at the moment. I'm sure it was funny to watch though and I was grateful when Fu-kun popped out of my collar and licked the end of my nose. Holding him up above my face, I couldn't help but laugh and touch noses with him; a large smile taking over my face.

"Thanks for cheering me up, Fu-kun. You're just too cute for your own good."

"And you!…Actually, I don't know what to do with you."

"**What?"**

"I can see why. Kohaku was either ignoring her, or sleeping through most of Renge's speeches. She hasn't really been able to see what we have seen as far as his characteristics."

I nodded at Kyoya's expert analysis, thankful for not being involved in Renge's insane plot for now, and noticed that quite a few of their faces were red. _Did something happen? I wonder what's up with them. Even Haruhi's blushing._ Shrugging the notion off, I yawned and stared at the group of them standing around and arguing. _Almost like a family…but, as always, I'm being left out. In fact, ever since I've gotten here I've just been a background character. Other than being in the host club, I just kind of blend in…Like I always did, even back home. _I felt my own little rain cloud hovering over me, threatening to drench me in rain, but I quickly shoved it aside. I knew better than to break down in public. _I'll deal with everything at the gym or at home. I don't have a right to drag the host club into my problems._

"Wait! I've got it!"

At Renge's shout, I whipped my head around and stared frightened at the finger she was pointing my way. _This can't be good._

"You're a shadow that is always in the background, hurt, but wanting to be noticed. One who can't deal with his own feelings and therefore keeps them bottled up inside behind a façade of calm, shy indifference. The Lost Soul!"

I nearly collapsed right there. Everything she said was completely true and now they all knew. I could feel every one of their stares burning into me, but I forced my imagination to calm down; instead staring at Tamaki acting his part when a hand touched my shoulder, causing me to flinch. Turning around, I saw Mori giving me a concerned look. I knew he wanted to ask but, being the person that he is, I knew he wouldn't. That's the nice thing about Mori; silent, but dependable.

"I-I'm going to head home. Could you tell the others? I'm not really feeling too well and…she's right."

I looked down for a moment, but saw Mori nod and I grabbed my things and left with Fu-kun. I knew I should've headed home, but the moment I stepped in there I felt like I was going to fall apart so I quickly changed and headed to the boxing gym.

"Fu-kun. You stay here. I'll…I'll try to be back soon. Just gotta blow off some steam."

He nodded and I closed the door and locked it, taking a quick jog to the only other place I could take out my frustrations. _And if I'm lucky, I won't be there for hours on end but…who knows. I tend to beat myself up about things. Maybe the host club will change something. __**But you have to open up to them first.**__ I know…I know._

* * *

I was awoken by a loud, annoying buzzer, like those you would hear during a basketball game announcing the end of quarter. I immediately jumped and fell out of the foldable chair I had been sleeping in, Fu-kun clinging to my head with a death grip. With a scowl, I plucked him off and tried to remember how I'd gotten to the grounds outside of Ouran as well as what happened the previous night. Holding Fu-kun in front of my face, I stared at him quizzically.

"How'd I get here, Fu-kun?…And, dare I ask, what happened last night?"

I gazed at the basketball scene the twins were pulling off before shaking my head and staring at the bandages on my hands. _**You don't remember? Last night you went to the boxing gym and didn't come back until early this morning. You slept for maybe half an hour before your alarm went off and you ran to school.**__ I ran? No wonder my legs are so sore.__** Anyway, you were late and the teacher said you were supposed to be outside for club activities which is how you ended up here, but you passed out in this chair the moment you sat down. You managed to scare blondie enough that he sent his glasses friend to check up on you.**__ Wow…that's the most I've ever heard you say. __**Yeah well, don't get used to it.**_

I chuckled a bit, wincing as my sore muscles ached, and leaned against the wall. I tried to ignore the things I still had left to take care of when I got home, but they kept creeping up on me. _I need to go grocery shopping this week and get more clothes, since I've been wearing these ones since the theft. I was lucky Ranka let me borrow a shirt so I could wash them yesterday, but then I still need a replacement for my laptop and TV. A new coat of paint for the kitchen is also in order, but I might have to wait on that one until I get more cash. All of that, plus rewriting my manuscript before next Wednesday._

"So much to do…"

"Hey! It's almost your turn, get out there!"

I was heaved up by a stranger and placed up against a tree, being told to just stand there and watch as Fu-kun was placed in the folding chair from earlier. Apparently, I didn't have any line to try and remember, which was a good thing since I couldn't even remember what happened this morning or last night. When they began to hose us down with water I looked over at Tamaki and the others. The camera began rolling unnoticed by me as I began blocking out everything except the feeling of the water dripping down my face, taking my sorrow with it. I turned away from the trio and gazed longingly up into the sky, closing my eyes as I thought about my family with a sad smile. I swear a stray tear fell down my face with the water, but I was completely zoned out until someone grabbed my arm and pulled me back to a folded chair, sitting me down and shining something in my eyes.

"What're you doing?"

I covered my eyes with my hand until the light went away and revealed Kyoya, as a towel flopped on my head. Glancing up, I saw Honey sitting on Mori's shoulders smiling sorrowfully.

"You feeling better now, Ko-chan?"

"Sure. I was just tired…I'm _fine_ Kyoya-kun."

He didn't listen, and proceeded to take my pulse and make me follow his finger even as I glared at him. Finally, he pushed up his glasses and returned to his own folding chair, scribbling in his notebook with short glances at my bandaged hands. Fu-kun hopped up into my lap and I smiled until I felt someone drying my hair off for me.

"Mori-kun! I can do it myself, you know!"

"No."

I frowned, but gave up when it was interrupted by a yawn.

"How many hours of sleep did you get the past couple of days?"

I did manage to successfully frown this time and scrunched up my face trying to do the math in order to answer Kyoya's question; a small headache forming in the process.

"Hm…two? I-I'm not sure. I've been really busy lately and-"

"Busy with what, might I ask?…And where did you get those injuries from? I should inform you that we do not tolerate any form of delinquency in the Host Club."

I became extremely irritable in those few short seconds and my patience snapped like a dry twig.

"It's none of your business what I do in my spare time, _Ootori-kun_. Just because you can't get any information on me, doesn't mean you're allowed to go meddling in things that have nothing to do with you. Now if you'll excuse me, I have something more important to take care of than answering your pointless questions."

I stood up and headed around the corner, pinching the bridge of my nose as my mind caught up to what I'd just done. _Great. Now he's going to be on my case constantly. __**Smart move, idiot.**__ Really Fu-kun? Can't you just leave me alone for once? _I was met with silence and slightly regretted what I'd just told him, but a yell from nearby caught my attention first.

"Let go of me! Don't act all big-headed just because you're from class A!"

My mind clicked as I saw one of the two class D students shoving Renge off him, but my body was a bit slow on the reaction and I knew I wouldn't make it in time to keep Haruhi from hitting the scaffold. I still ran over there though and, already knowing Haruhi would be okay, I confronted the guy who shoved them in the first place.

"Hey man! What's your problem?"

"My _problem_ is with you shoving my friends around before-"

"Before what? You'll hit me with those scrawny little arms of yours?"

I smirked sadistically and turned him towards the men coming up behind me.

"No. I'll leave _that_ to them."

He looked at the Host Club members that were heading over and paled, struggling to get out of my grasp as Tamaki came closer. His buddy noticed as well and came over to pry me off, managing to hit me in the face with his elbow just as Tamaki grabbed a hold of his friend and punched him in the face.

"Who did it?"

"W-We didn't mean-"

"Would you both like to be expelled together?"

The two of them soon left with their tails between their legs and I'd decided I'd had enough beatings for one day, lying down flat on the ground off to the side; out of everyone's way. I heard Tamaki nearby being all gentlemanly towards Haruhi and smiled as I thought. _It's just her contact. I'm the only one who actually got hurt. Not that they'll notice._ The smile reminded me about the elbow I took to the face earlier, and I groaned.

"O-Ouch."

"Ko-kun!"

The little blonde buried his crying face into my shoulder and I patted his hair as a means to comfort him.

"I'll be okay, Honey-kun. Besides, we're missing the best part."

He looked down at me confused as I sat up, but I winked and pointed at Kyoya who was walking toward the camera with a large rock in hand; Renge still ranting.

"This is it! It's perfect! Now, we only need Kyoya's touching mono-"

The shattering of the camera lens froze Renge in her tracks as she turned to Kyoya with shock written all over her features. If I thought Kyoya was intimidating before, I now know just how menacing her could really be. _Let's just hope he's not this bad when he questions me. I don't handle pressure well._ I shivered at the thought and stood up with Honey on my shoulders, as Kyoya continued.

"I'm very sorry, but we cannot have any evidence of the club members involved in violent acts. It's also very unpleasant of you to cause this kind of trouble as well as bring harm to one of our club members."

I was glad someone else noticed my bruising face, but as Renge began crying I felt bad for her. It kind of sucks, having what you believed to be true pulled out from under you like that. I sulked a bit, feeling as though I was an old grandma watching her grandchildren grow up in front of her while thinking of past life experiences. _I know I always acted mature and all, but seriously?_

"Well, it's okay, actually. It was rather fun."

"Right!~"

Honey squirmed a bit on my shoulders when he spoke and I rolled my eyes at his childishness, but kept a small smile on my face. Lifting Honey back off my shoulders, I handed him over to Mori and reached out to take Fu-kun, but Fu-kun turned away from me and hid his face in Mori's neck.

"F-Fu-kun?"

I got no reaction and mentally yelled at myself for being a jerk to him earlier, before looking up at Mori.

"Y-You think you could watch him for a bit? I don't think he'll…want to be around me for while. We had a…an argument, if you believe it."

I chuckled without feeling as Mori nodded and Honey gave me a worried look. I just waved and headed back to the club room with the rest of them, plopping down on the window sill with 'Black and Gold' by Sam Sparro playing loudly through my small headphones.

"_I looked up into the night sky_

_And see a thousand eyes staring back_

_And all around these golden beacons_

_I see nothing but black_

_I feel a way of something beyond them_

_I don't see what I can feel_

_If vision is the only validation_

_Then most of my life isn't real_

_'Cause if you're not really here_

_Then the stars don't even matter_

_Now I'm filled to the top with fear_

_That it's all just a bunch of matter_

_'Cause if you're not really here_

_Then I don't want to be either_

_I wanna be next to you_

_Black and gold_

_Black and gold_

_Black and gold"_

Something cold pressed up against my bruised cheek and I winced in shock and pain.

"Ow!"

"I apologize, Nishimura-kun, but you need to put ice on that if you want the swelling to go down. Maybe now, you would like to answer my earlier questions?"

I glowered at him and took the ice pack away from him. Opening my mouth to retort, I was silenced when the rest of the club began asking me questions as well.

"**You're not the only one with questions!"**

"Yes! Daddy wants to know what happened to his son's hands!"

"Why were you so sleepy today, Ko-kun?"

"Ah."

"Is there something you need to tell us, Kohaku-senpai? You have been acting odd lately."

I frowned, looking down at the floor. He had me cornered and now I _had_ to answer all of their questions or risk getting stalked for answers. Sighing, I began removing the bandages on one of my hands, showing the group my bloody knuckles that literally had skin ripped off.

"I had a lot of stress building up these past couple of days a-and took it out on a punching bag. It's no big deal. I-I just got a bit carried away."

"A bit carried away? You've skinned your knuckles almost down to the bone!"

I pulled my hand back from Haruhi, deciding to ignore her anger for the moment as I continued to explain my situation and re-bandage my hand.

"Look. I had every right to do this. My apartment was robbed two nights ago. Stole my laptop, my typewriter, trashed my kitchen with food, shredded my clothes, and broke the lock on my door. I haven't been getting much sleep lately because I've been trying to clean it up as well as replace everything with the small amount of money I have."

"**Robbed?"**

"My darling son has been robbed! Mother, we must catch these fiends at once!"

I groaned and dropped my head in my hands.

"This is exactly why I didn't want to tell you, _Mother_."

Kyoya glared at me, but Mori handed me a piece of cake to satisfy my cranky mood. Seems I was more tired than I thought.

"Poor Ko-chan."

"It's okay. You probably won't find out who did it anyway. I wasn't even home when it happened, so no one knows anything about who did it."

"Wait…where do you live, Kohaku-senpai?"

I glanced at Haruhi, but also at Kyoya. His pen was poised for my answer and I felt like making him mad. Blame the lack of sleep.

"Oh? What's wrong, doesn't _Mother_ know?"

Everyone flinched as he pushed up his glasses, waiting for his answer.

"No, unfortunately. It's not on your school records and I haven't been able to get much else on you either. It's quite…_frustrating_."

"Glad to see I put up a challenge for you. Anyway, I'll tell you later Haruhi-chan, in order to keep at least a little bit of my privacy. I have to go now. I need to buy food…and clothes, and a laptop, an-"

"Just get your groceries. We'll take care of everything else."

I shook my head trying to tell him no, but there's no arguing with Kyoya once he makes a decision so I gave up trying to convince him.

"Don't worry. We'll just use the club funds that you earn to pay it off."

"As long as the video sales go into account as well, Kyoya-kun."

He frowned and I tried not to smile, giving Fu-kun one last glance before heading out the door without him and leaving the rest of the club members confused; not hearing the last bit of their conversation.

* * *

"So why'd he leave Fu-kun?"

The rest of them turned to look at the depressed looking white ferret on Mori's shoulders as he answered in his short cut speech.

"They had an argument."

Majority of the group sweat dropped at the prospect of Kohaku arguing with a ferret, but they didn't question it. The next day, they understood what Kohaku meant by the video sales at least and stared at him scared as he napped by the window, all thinking the same thing.

_How did he know about the video?_


	4. Chapter 3

**Whoo! Sorry for the way late update, but I ended up rewriting this four times because things weren't turning out like i wanted them to and then I was at my grandparents and couldn't update but now i have returned! i hope you like this chapter, although i apologize if it gets a bit...crazy near the end. ^^ please review!**

* * *

Cherry blossom petals fell gracefully to the ground around me as I stared up into the branches of the tree. The Host Club was working outdoors today in celebration of spring and, having never witnessed cherry blossoms my whole life, this experience in and of itself was breathtaking to me. Technically, this was supposed to be my first day hosting but I had somehow managed to disappear from Kyoya's radar and I was currently hiding behind one of the many trees surrounding Honey and Mori's area.

The view was pretty nice; giving me the chance to keep an eye on Fu-kun, who was still upset with me. _I really have to make it up to him, but it's hard to do that and hide from my guests at the same time._

"Kohaku-senpai? What are you doing?"

My eyes widened and I rushed over to Haruhi's side, covering her mouth with one hand and shushing her.

"Shhh! I'm trying to hide!"

She rolled her eyes and I released her once I saw Kyoya was occupied with selling photo albums to the insane mob of guests. Turning back to the group, I paled when I noticed that two guests were blushing not a foot next to me. _Calm down! It's just two people! If you ignore them you won't have a problem._ Taking a deep breath, I sat down and relaxed a bit, risking a glance at Fu-kun who actually looked back at me this time.

"So…why are you hiding?"

I tore my gaze away and gave Haruhi a look.

"You'd be hiding too if Ootori-kun was looking for you. I doubt he appreciates me hiding before he can hand me any guests."

She sighed. "Why don't you just try and talk to them? They're really nice girls once you get to know them and besides, you can't just hide from him forever. Trust me."

We both shivered, knowing the kind of power that backed Kyoya up, and I looked over at the two guests as they stared back confused.

"I guess I could try…If Fu-kun will forgive me for getting mad at him earlier."

All gazes switched over to the white ferret resting on Mori's shoulder and I finally heard a response accompanied with a sigh. _**Took you long enough. I had to go make friends with a tanuki and a baby chick in order to have a decent conversation. Good pals and all, but not as intelligent as I would like…I forgive you, kid.**_ He jumped down and rushed over to me, shimmying up my kimono to lick my cheek. I laughed with a large smile, easing the mood as the two guests 'aw'-ed at the affectionate scene.

"Yay! Fu-kun and Ko-kun made up! That's really good, right Takashi?"

"Ah."

Honey then decided to make some tea in celebration. Unfortunately, he was having a bit of a hard time with it and was spilling the majority of it, and there was no way _I_ was going to tell him. Nudging Haruhi with my elbow, I leaned over and whispered in her ear.

"Aren't you going to tell him?"

"I, uh, don't think I can."

I knew what she meant. Neither of us wanted to be the bearer of bad news and most importantly, neither of us wanted to see him cry afterwards. It was then, our savior arrived in the form of the human wall known as Mori.

"Mitsukuni. You spilled too much."

He was right too. There was maybe barely a sip of the tea left and almost immediately, Honey's eyes welled up with tears. The guests sucked up to him to keep him from crying and Mori even brought over some dango to cheer him up. Haruhi quickly excused herself to the bathroom and I decided to follow her.

"W-Wait up, Haruhi!"

Something pulled me back by my collar and I turned around to meet the calm face of Kyoya. The sunlight flashing on his glasses told me he wasn't happy with me and that I would be lucky if I was still alive after the punishment he had planned.

"Kohaku-senpai, I believe that you were supposed to be hosting today and yet you seemed to have _skipped out_. Now what do you think I should do about that?"

I went to turn to Haruhi for help, but she had already disappeared and left me to deal with the Shadow King on my own. _Thanks for the support, Haruhi._ Looking back at him I smiled nervously.

"U-Um, let me off with a w-warning?"

"Not quite. I believe that cleaning all of the tables and bringing the china back to the club room will work as a punishment for now." He dropped me to the ground, somewhat happy that he was just making me clean and not forcing a debt on me or anything. "Oh, and Kohaku-senpai?"

"Y-Yeah?"

_Oh crap. I think I spoke too soon._

"The cost of your…games will be added to your debt."

"Debt?! What debt?!"

"Yes. We have replaced everything you've lost during your burglary and we will send it to your house as soon as you give us the address, but the cost of everything has exceeded the amount you've earned."

"H-How much do I owe?"

"Adding in the cost of the guests…2 million yen."

_T-Two million yen?!…Wait, how much is that?_

"Um, stupid question, but how much would that be in dollars? I-I can't fathom the amount q-quite yet."

He raised an eyebrow at that and wrote something down in his notebook, making me realize my mistake a bit too late. _Great! Now he knows where I came from!_

"Roughly $18,823 although I do question why you don't-"

"Mommy!"

_Thank you Tamaki!_ I hurried off to clean off the tables and stack the china in boxes, ignoring the stupid conversation going on behind me about how much time Haruhi spends with the twins versus Tamaki. Instead, I decided to have an intelligent conversation with Fu-kun.

_Hey, Fu-kun? __**Hm?**__ You think I should give Kyoya my address? It would save me the trouble of trying to find a way to get everything to my apartment, but then he'll know where I live and that's just asking for disaster. __**You might as well. He'll find out eventually anyway since you live next door to Haruhi and he will only tell blondie and the others if they ask for it, so I don't see why not.**_

I thought over what he said and decided that he was right. I already finished putting everything away in boxes and cleaning up the tables, so I pulled out my little black notebook and a pen. When I opened the book, I smiled sadly at the family photo I kept inside and then turned to a blank page where I wrote down my address before tearing it out. Heading over to Kyoya, I waited patiently while he wrote in his notebook until he spoke to me first.

"Can I help you, Kohaku-senpai?"

"Yeah. Here." I handed him the piece of paper. "It's so you can send the stuff to my apartment…and…I'm sorry for running off like I did. I shouldn't have disappointed the guests like that and then left you to deal with apologizing to them. And I'll actually _try_ to host on Monday…So, uh, yeah. I'm really sorry."

I bowed, my face flushed after realizing that I spoke that long without stuttering. Lifting my head when I received no response, I stared at Kyoya's surprised face before he covered it up with his usual I'm-holier-than-thou look.

"Well then, I will see to it that your things are delivered by tonight."

He didn't say anything after that and just nonchalantly went back to writing in his black book. I smiled a little bit to myself, knowing that that was just Kyoya's way of saying 'thank you' since he didn't bring up what happened earlier with the whole dollar-yen thing. I suddenly felt lighter and went off to see what the others were up to, when everything came crashing down once more as Honey wrapped his hands around my waist.

"Neh, neh, Ko-kun? Can we compare our heights on physical examination day?"

_It's hard trying to remember that he's eighteen with that look. Poor guy. He must really hate physicals deep down. Wait a minute…_

"Ph-Physical examination day?"

I paled, having completely forgotten about that until this very moment, and stumbled out a response to Honey.

"Uh, s-sure." He looked at me in concern and I quickly covered up my worry. "We could compare heights and maybe you'll grow really tall like Mori-kun overnight!"

"Woah! That'd be really cool, Ko-kun!"

I laughed at the excited look he had on his face, just barely catching the thankful look he had hidden behind it. My laugh died out though and I began silently freaking out. _This isn't good. This isn't good at all!…Then again, I don't really have a need to hide it. I'm just doing it for the fun of it, but didn't Kyoya mention something about cross-dressing being against Ouran rules?_

"Ugh, this isn't going to work out, is it?"

"What's not going to work out, Ko-kun?"

I jumped and stared wide eyed at Honey, forgetting he was still in front of me. It was then I decided to bounce some ideas off of him, just for another opinion.

"Honey-kun, if you had a secret that you didn't care if others found out about, but enjoyed the fact that nobody knew about it, and that secret was in danger of being exposed…what would you do?"

"Hm…" He scrunched up his face in thought and hugged Usa-chan a bit tighter before answering. "I think I would try to keep it secret."

"What if someone found out, though?"

"Then I wouldn't be disappointed. Sometimes it's better if someone finds out, right Ko-chan?"

"Right."

I understood where he was coming from, but then I realized something. _Did he just call me Ko-_chan_?_ Glancing back at him as he hurried off, I shook my head in denial. _Nah…But that doesn't help the fact that I hate physicals and I don't want the Host Club finding out so soon! __**Couldn't you just skip? Not go to school that day or something?**_ His voice sounded bored and uncaring, so I pulled him off my shoulder and began shaking him in front of my face as I hid behind a tree.

"Are you crazy?! If I do that, Kyoya will be all over me! He'll be asking questions nonstop!"

_**Then just let them figure it out! It's not that big of a deal anyway! You're only hiding it for fun!**_

"Agh! You don't understand!"

"Don't understand what, might I ask?"

I stopped shaking Fu-kun and stared wide-eyed at Kyoya, wondering just how much he heard.

"Um…How much of t-that did you hear?"

He didn't answer and I kept my own mouth shut for fear that I might just give away something he _didn't _hear. It was quiet for a moment; the only sound being the rest of the Host Club fondling over Haruhi when he pushed up his glasses and spoke.

"I highly doubt an animal of its intelligence would actually understand you…" _**Hey!**_ "…and shouldn't you also be bringing those boxes to the clubroom before I increase your debt?"

"R-Right."

I stood there, not moving for a while longer when Kyoya rolled his eyes from underneath his lenses.

"Now, would be nice."

"Right!"

I sounded a bit more confident this time and scrambled off to do the man's bidding, beyond happy when Mori offered to carry the other box for me. _All I have to do now is find a way to get out of the physicals…and with Kyoya's family owning all the doctors, it's not going to be easy._

* * *

When the day for the third years to take the physical exam came up, I had been promptly notified by the principal that I would have the physical with a special doctor (sworn to secrecy and hired by my mysterious donor, thank God) in another room.

Secretly, I wondered who this donor was, but Fu-kun said not to worry about it and that he was practically nonexistent so I did. Oh, and all my new things safely arrived the night before and Kyoya had even managed to recover my antique typewriter! Although the note in it said that he wasn't the only one interested in it and the price of that alone was nearly half my total debt. Lucky me.

Anyway, that day went by without a hitch and I didn't have to worry about hosting until after the weekend. What I _did_ have to worry about though, was Kyoya asking questions when he got a look at my medical records. You see, despite the fact that I took the physical with my own doctor, my records still have to go to the school so they have them on hand should anything happen.

Normally I wouldn't mind since they made sure to state that I was male, but those _wonderful _records also stated a few other things. For instance, the fact that I had severe allergies; mostly to certain foods, but also to some plants as well. _Kyoya is definitely going to bug me about that, but at least I got out of helping Haruhi the other day._

It was true. I had somehow gotten sick from all the stress I had piling up and was unable to make it the day of her physical. Although Kyoya did call and confirm that I was actually sick. _I wonder how he got my cell number. __**He took your phone from your bag a few days ago and put him in your contacts. **__Why didn't you tell me about this?! __**You never asked.**_

I rubbed the bridge of my nose, removing my glasses as I walked into the host club. Needless to say, I'd had an exhausting past couple of days.

"Hikaru! Kaoru!" And Tamaki's about to make it worse. "I left both of you in charge of the club's website because you promised to do it seriously!"

I watched as Tamaki's fists shook at his sides in anger and the twins gave him a dull look. _That's right. This is when they made those photo-shopped photos of Haruhi and there's something else, but I can't quite put my finger on it._

"We are taking it seriously."

"Yeah, we stayed up the whole night yesterday working on it."

"**In order to create this masterpiece! Haruhi's Composite Photograph!"**

Honey and I went over to the computer as Tamaki went off at the twins. Haruhi looked absolutely petrified and I pat her on the back as Honey spoke.

"Waaaah! Haru-chan, you're so cool!"

"Think of it this way, Haruhi-kun, it's not like they made you fat with a double chin or anything."

"Gee, thanks."

"Outrageous! Do you know you're wasting your talents by doing this! Shame on you!"

"What?"

"But we even did one…"

"…**of Kohaku-senpai!"**

I turned around and looked at them with a curious expression.

"C-Can I see?"

"**What?!"**

It wasn't just the twins who said this, but practically everyone else in the room (aside from Mori and Kyoya who don't speak much at all). While the twins grabbed the computer to show me, Haruhi gave me a crazed look.

"Why do you even want to see what they did?"

I shrugged. "I-I just want to see what others think I'm like. I don't care what most people think about me generally, but it's interesting to see someone else's perspective every once in a while. Plus, how they see me gives me an insight to how they act."

"Oh. I think I get it."

I nodded, knowing that Haruhi was pretty logical and would understand it right away but the twins, who were listening in, didn't quite get it.

"What do…"

"…you mean?"

"I'll tell you later."

Gazing at the screen, now filled with my half naked photo-shopped picture of me smirking with a slogan saying 'I may be shy, but I know how to bite', I felt my lip twitch in amusement. _They did a pretty good job. I've always wondered what I'd look like as a guy._

For a while after that, they kept asking me what I meant earlier and I continued to refuse to answer them. Then, I heard them sigh. _The twins? Sighing? Oh no. I totally forgot about the fight. I wonder if I'll somehow get dragged into it. _I though about it for the moment, plugging in my headphones and totally missed the fact that Nekozawa had just walked in only to run out screaming murder.

"_I am an arms dealer_

_Fitting you with weapons in the form of words_

_And I don't really care which side wins_

_As long as the room keeps singing_

_That's just the business I'm in"_

I smirked at the song choice as I thought about how much Haruhi's simple words will start a war between the twins.

"_I'm a leading man_

_And the lies I weave are oh so intricate, oh so intricate_

_I'm a leading man_

_And the lies I weave are oh so intricate, oh so intricate_

_I wrote the gospel on giving up_

_(You look pretty sinking)_

_But the real bombshells have already sunk_

_(Prima donnas of the gutter)_

_At night we're painting your trash gold while you sleep_

_Crashing not like hips or cars_

_No, more like p-p-p-parties"_

_More like they're the leading 'men' those twins are pretty mischievous, but I can say the same about Kyoya. _I thought and glanced at him, shivering when we made eye contact. Although, it was more eye-to-flashing glasses contact.

I heard the twins sigh again and spotted them over by the window just as a very angry Tamaki stalked up to them. I watched as he handed out their punishment, however I didn't quite know why he was punishing them. _Oh well._

"Time to open the club, Tamaki."

I immediately paled, remembering what I had told Kyoya last week about me actually trying to host and begrudgingly made my way over to my position with the other hosts. As the club commenced, I slowly began to get used to speaking with my guests. It helped that they were quiet, shy types and my own shyness seemed to have some sort of appeal to them. That, and Kyoya actually allowed me to have my table right by Haruhi's which helped greatly.

"So, um, Kohaku-senpai?"

"Ah, y-yes?"

"Well, we know Haruhi-kun can tell the twins apart and we w-were just wondering if you could too. Since you're with him all the time, I mean! I don't mean to pry or anything."

I mentally chuckled at the light brown haired girl, who I now knew as Ayako. _She's cute._ I noticed her face flush a bright red and I realized I had said that out loud. _**Nice one, Romeo.**_

"A-Ah. I-I mean, when you g-get flustered. I-It's cute. As are you t-two as well."

I lowered my head in embarrassment at getting caught speaking my thoughts out loud as her and the other two guests I had 'kya'-ed. Then, I got around to answering their question.

"A-Actually, I do think I-I know the differences between them but I think H-Haruhi-kun might know them b-better."

"Then let's go ask him!"

"B-But-"

I was cut off when my three guests dragged me over to Haruhi's side, Fu-kun barely hanging on to my shoulder in the process. As my guests flocked over with hers, she gave me an odd look to which I replied.

"T-They wanted to know the differences between the twins a-and I thought you'd know better than me, but y-you don't have to answer!"

_**Is that really smart? **__Huh?__** If she doesn't get the fight started, then how would that affect future events? **_Fu-kun was right, and I knew it. _If the fight doesn't happen, then the twins won't go to her place until who-knows-when. Which means, Tamaki won't meet Ranka and won't have the chance at furthering their relationship in the supermarket. How complicated. It sucks, knowing everything that can happen and not wanting to change the plot. Even being here has already changed a few things. Better encourage her to say the differences now._

"Ah, n-never mind, Haruhi-kun. I just wanted to know if y-you found the same differences I did."

"Okay. If I really must say, Hikaru-kun is slightly more mischievous than Kaoru-kun."

I heard the snicker from Kaoru and I knew the fighting had just begun when Haruhi tapped me on the shoulder.

"What about you, Kohaku-senpai? You said earlier that you could tell from the photo."

_Great. She's somehow managed to drag me into this. I wonder what they'll want from me._

"W-Well, Kaoru-kun _is_ a bit more level headed and Hikaru-kun a bit mischievous, b-but I think…" _I'm really going to regret saying this, I'm sure._ "if they were to be s-separated that H-Hikaru-kun would cause more trouble while Kaoru-kun would be…calmer?"

I stated the last part like a question, uncertain about the effects my words would have on the two twins and when I glanced at them, I became scared for my well-being. On one hand, they both seemed somewhat happy that I could tell them apart, but they also seemed frightened and angry at me for mentioning separation. _God. I knew this was a bad idea._ Handing Fu-kun over to the safety of Haruhi for the moment I cautiously walked over to apologize for my harsh words, only to get some of the backlash of their 'fake' verbal argument.

"Even if I am the brain behind the plots, the one who deeply planned every execution is you, Kaoru. If you don't like it, then don't do it, idiot."

"You are so silly, it's pathetic. I can't take it lying down. You're even the one who came up with the toy concept…Hikaru, actually, you like Haruhi right? It's so obvious you're always touching her."

For a split second I looked around and notice Kyoya had already gotten rid of the guests, something in his eyes telling me that this would be going on both, Haruhi and mine's debt. Hurrying to defuse the situation, I stumbled when I heard the next line coming out of Hikaru's mouth.

"Why do you have to say that? Why would I like someone who is like a little fox? I anything, I'd say you're the one who has a crush on Kohaku-senpai!"

"What?!"

"I've seen the way you look at him when he's not looking. I bet the two of you are all gay for each other!"

I blanked out as Renge popped up out of nowhere saying something about a 'love quadruple' with me as an outside reference and 'eating three bowls of rice'. My mind was on other things really, like what Hikaru had said. _In the plot this never happens and when Kaoru claims Hikaru loves Haruhi it's based on fact. Does that mean the same with Kaoru? But he doesn't know I'm a girl, so he's gay? I mean, I expected it in a way. A manga with one girl (two now) and six boys. Someone has to be secretly swinging that way, but I-I don't think I like him that way. He's more of a crazy, plotting younger brother! A-And, although I'm not gay, I respect people that are and I somehow feel really offended with what he said. Just because someone is gay doesn't mean you have to call them out like that. Fake or not, this is already getting to be too much to handle. __**Hey, you okay?**_

I snapped out of my daze slightly, noticing that I was still standing there like an idiot and that my eyes itched a bit. Fu-kun was nudging my cheek with his head and as I reached up, I grasped the fact that I had tears streaming down my face. My eyes widened. _I can't let them see me like this! It'll…It'll ruin the plot! __**Possibly, but that's not the reason you don't want them to see.**_ I knew he was right, but that wasn't what I wanted to hear at the moment. Quickly wiping my tears away, I grabbed my bag and said a weak goodbye to Kyoya who was the only one paying attention. Brushing past him, I was forced to stop when his hand grasped my shoulder.

"What?"

He slowly released me. "Nothing. We may have to cancel tomorrow, but I still expect you to be here."

"Right."

I nodded and left, planning on bringing my larger headphones so I could drown out the twins for the next couple of days. _Sometimes I wonder why I'm even here. I only seem to be making things worse. __**That's not true, and you know it. Stop being so pessimistic and…I hate to say this, but go spend some time at the gym. I don't need a blubbering twenty year old wailing into my sleep time.**_ I chuckled, slightly happier. _Thanks for cheering me up, Fu-kun. __**Yeah, sure. Just looked like you needed it.**_

* * *

Somehow, Mori and Honey decided that today would be a great day to drag me to the school's cafeteria since I had brought food with me today and Honey wanted some. Why they couldn't just share with me in the classroom, I may never know, but the universe must really hate me. We'd just walked in after meeting up with Tamaki and Kyoya, and Honey noticed the twins getting angry.

"That's enough. If you're quarreling you must be punished! Hika-chan, Kao-chan, have each half of the cake and you'll be all right."

I hurried over, seeing the sparks flying through the air between them, and grabbed Honey and the cake before taking them to safety just as the twins exploded. Honey looked up at me confused.

"Sorry, Honey-kun, but I don't think you should bother them right now."

"B-But-"

He had tears pooling up at the corner of his eyes and I swallowed nervously.

"I-I saved your cake though!"

"Wah! Thanks, Ko-kun!"

He smiled widely as Mori, him, and I headed over to a table to sit down. _Disaster averted. Now I just have to be prepared for flying food. Can't save the vice principal, but I suppose I can help Tamaki later._ Glancing over at the pink haired twin, I watched as he asked Haruhi what's in her bento.

"Yesterday's leftovers and eggs, sunny side up."

"I'll exchange yours with mine. When I asked for something different than Kaoru's, I ended up with something I don't like."

He abruptly grabbed her bento and she looked at his food in surprise. Pulling out a camera I already had prepared for blackmail purposes, I snapped picture after picture as Haruhi lifted the fork to her mouth and relished in the bliss that was high class food. I smirked as I went over the pictures when a shiver went up my spine. _Something dark and ominous is behind me. __**Yup. Glasses.**_ Kyoya's breath brushed the nape of my neck as he whispered in my ear, causing my face to flush slightly.

"I want copies of those for the album. I'll lower your debt accordingly."

He pulled away and went on eating his food like nothing happened as I practically melted into my seat. Something went into my open mouth and I began chewing, shocked at the taste of something amazing. I moaned in pleasure and Honey giggled at me. _God, this is better than the cake and I don't even know what it is._

"Is Takashi's sushi good, Ko-kun?"

I nodded, albeit reluctantly. My first time having sushi was not a good experience and since then I had vowed to never eat it again. Even when I did try some after that, I nearly got sick afterwards so this was a shock to me that Mori's sushi was so good. I looked up at him and smiled a bit.

"Um, thanks. It was good."

"Ah."

"Neh, Ko-kun! What do you have for lunch?"

I glanced down at my food and flinched at what I had.

"N-Nothing much. A turkey wrap from the convenience store, an apple, and a piece of carrot cake that I was bored enough to make."

As I looked back up at Honey, his eyes were practically devouring my carrot cake and I pushed my lunch towards him.

"You can have the cake if you want, Honey-kun. I have plenty at my apartment."

His eyes lit up like a Christmas tree and my piece of cake was gone in seconds. Taking my lunch back, I smiled at him as he complimented me.

"Wow! That was really good, Ko-kun!"

Suddenly, he was scooped up and being thrown across the room by the twins and Mori had to jump in and save him. Picking up Honey's abandoned tray, I blocked a flying piece of…something (crème brulee maybe?) from hitting Kyoya, who nodded in thanks I assume, before I started walking towards the vice principal. Ducking, a fork flew over my head and landed in his soup, splashing up into his face. He was surprisingly calm as he cleaned his face, but I could see the tick mark on his forehead.

"Who is the main culprit?"

The two twins pointed at each other, but Tamaki was in-between them and got the blame. With a sigh, I walked over to the vice principal and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Um, sir? I-I don't think you should put the blame on Tamaki-kun."

"Oh? And why not?"

I looked over at the twins as they wondered if I was going to rat them out or not. _I can't do that to them. Even if this is a fake fight and it's causing all kinds of trouble. Maybe…I can make them feel guilty enough that they'll make it up to me or something._ Sighing again, I bowed low at the waist and put on an act.

"I-I'm sorry, sir! I was t-the one who threw the fork, so please don't get angry at Tamaki-kun!"

The elderly man's scowl slowly relaxed a bit and he too let out a sigh.

"Thank you for being honest-"

"K-Kohaku Nishimura, sir."

His eyes widened at the name, as though recognizing it somehow, but he continued.

"Nishimura-san then, but I cannot leave you unpunished. Therefore, I want you to clean up the cafeteria. I hope to find it in better condition that when you first walked in."

"Yes, sir."

I bowed again and he left with a nod, before Tamaki hugged me with tears streaming down his face.

"Thank you so much, Kohaku-senpai! I don't know what I would've done if you hadn't saved me!"

"Y-You're welcome, but could you let me go? I kind of n-need to get started."

He released me and I went to get the supplies that someone had left for me in a corner. Grabbing a cloth, I looked over the chaos that the twins had left behind for me and mentally groaned. _Food on the walls and floor, random objects scattered around the room; some broken, others not. Then I have to dust, sweep, mop, and clean the windows and any other stupid objects they put in here for decoration. Not to mention those two left already, but I have a feeling they're still watching._ I pulled on my headphones and started cleaning up the food on the floor and walls, singing alone to the perfect song for the twins; if they were indeed watching.

"_Lie awake in bed at night_

_And think about your life_

_Do you want to be different?_

_Try to let go of the truth_

_The battles of your youth_

'_Cause this is just a game_

_It's a beautiful lie_

_It's the perfect denial_

_Such a beautiful lie to believe in_

_So beautiful, beautiful it makes me"_

It certainly explained the game the twins were playing and I soon lost myself to the music as I began sweeping up a broken vase, Fu-kun helping by holding the dust pan. What I didn't know, was that the host club hadn't left yet and they were listening to me sing as they helped clean with me.

"_It's time to forget about the past_

_To wash away what happened last_

_Hide behind and empty face_

_Don't ask too much, just say_

'_Cause this is just a game_

_It's a beautiful lie_

_It's the perfect denial_

_Such a beautiful lie to believe in_

_So beautiful, beautiful it makes me"_

I switched to cleaning the tables during the short instrumental.

"_Everyone's looking at me_

_I'm running around in circles, baby_

_A quiet desperation's building higher_

_I've got to remember this is just a game_

_So beautiful, beautiful_

_It's a beautiful lie_

_So beautiful, beautiful_

_It's a beautiful lie_

_So beautiful, beautiful_

_It's a beautiful lie_

_It's the perfect denial_

_Such a beautiful lie to believe in_

_So beautiful, beautiful it makes me"_

The song ended and I had finished with the tables, ready to move on to the windows, but the room was already clean. Of course, I paled. _Crap. I sang in front of the host club?! Fu-kun! __**What? They were helping and I didn't want to ruin your 'me' time.**_ I scowled and picked him up by the scruff while wagging my finger at him.

"You pesky little thing. You should've told me they were still here!"

"Ko-kun! You're a really good singer!"

I stopped getting angry at Fu-kun and looked at Honey and the other hosts who nodded, or in Tamaki's case, cried.

"Why didn't my son tell me?!"

I dodged his hug. "B-Because! I-I'm not that good a-and I don't sing in front of anyone b-but my…family."

I got a bit depressed as I remembered my family back home, but quickly shook it off at the concerned looks the group was giving me. Then, a cough rang out above the silence.

"I suggest we head back to the club room before the twins destroy anything in there. After all, it'll be Haruhi-kun and Kohaku-senpai who will end up cleaning it if the twins decide to break anything."

The two of us looked at each other in shock before hurrying to the club room to make sure nothing was broken. Luckily, nothing had been destroyed although I did spot a few traps here and there that they were in the process of setting up without anyone noticing. I let out a sigh of relief and slumped down into a chair at a table Kyoya had set up for a discussion.

"Why?!" Tamaki wailed. "Because of them, I feel the rest of us are becoming more worn out."

_That's because you aren't used to cleaning yet you helped me out anyway._ Kyoya ignored Tamaki and began typing away on his calculator.

"If this situation persists, we may have to cancel the brotherly love setting. I can assure you the request rates will decrease and I'll have to think about their punishment later. Oh, and Haruhi-kun, Kohaku-senpai? Neither of you have to worry about any responsibility, okay? Even if this was caused by both of your insensitive comments."

His smile said otherwise, but I stopped caring a while ago. The twins were just screwing around until they could trick Haruhi into letting them go to her house anyway.

"Never let the twins get bored." I mumbled under my breath. Kyoya seemed to have caught it though and he gave me a curious look that I ignored. Haruhi, Honey, and Tamaki began talking about the twins and how they were constantly together, all information that I already knew, while I silently thought back to my younger brother and sister.

They weren't that much younger than me, really. My sister, Sarah, was actually just two years younger than me and my brother, Patrick, two years younger than her. Yet, they were constantly together and reminded me of the twins._ Especially with all the troubles they caused when they were left on their own together._ _I always wanted my own quiet house when I got older, but now that I have it, I wonder if it was really worth it._

"I definitely must punish you both!"

I jumped out of my seat at the yell and took up a kickboxing stance.

"Where's the fire?!"

Honey laughed and jumped on my back. "There's no fire, Ko-kun! Tama-chan is just chasing Hika-chan and Kao-chan. They made him angry."

"Oh." I felt embarrassed at how I reacted, but snapped out of it when Haruhi walked past me. _Hm, I always thought their fight lasted longer. Guess not._ I mentally shrugged and put Honey on my shoulders while Fu-kun hung on to my head, and began following Haruhi to where the twins had stopped. Tamaki was a mess, after landing in all the traps they had along the way, and I smirked as I passed Honey over to Mori.

"Stop joking! I am the one who's troubled here. I don't have to look exactly like Kaoru. Being treated by others as you, I am already fed up and sick with that! Actually, I hate you the most!"

I knew that in reality Hikaru wasn't thinking that at all, but I must've not been as happy as I thought I'd be, knowing that the twins' fight was a fake. The last few things that they said really hurt for some reason.

"Regarding that, I've always wanted to tell you too. Look at this! This is the cursed voodoo doll I got from Nekozawa-senpai! You're name has already been written on the back of the doll, Hikaru. Now I will let you taste the same anguish as the voodoo doll!"

Haruhi stepped forward, claiming that they were going too far, but they didn't hear her so she resorted to a more physical way of getting their attention. She hit them both hard across the top of their heads, took the cursed doll, and yelled as she lectured them.

"Stop that! Don't use that kind of thing for such a stupid quarrel! Both of you are bad, and causing trouble for the people around you is even worse! Now apologize to everyone! If you two don't make up and shake hands now, you two will never ever set foot in my house in this lifetime!"

The twins were surprised at first, this being the first time Haruhi has ever raised her voice like that at them, but the moment she said what they wanted her to they smirked. Coming up behind her, they put their arms on each others' shoulders.

"So you're saying…"

"…if we call a truce…"

"…**we can go to your house?"**

Haruhi flipped over the doll in her hands and saw the word 'FAIL' before she gaped, now knowing that she had been tricked. Taking that in stride, the twins began one of their acts.

"I am so sorry, Kaoru! Even though I was only following the script, those words were really too much!"

"Don't say that! I was so worried that you would get hurt! What would I do then?!"

"Kaoru! I'll never let you go!"

"Hikaru!"

Honey walked over to them, holding his bunny and sort of crying. He was more upset that he too had been tricked, but I had a feeling that he figured it out part way through. _Those jerks. Not only did I have to clean up the cafeteria because of them, but that really hurt; what they had said earlier. I don't even know what I should do about them. Should I just let it go? Should I get angry at them for using me like that? The whole gay thing from before really had me pissed. __**Then do something about it! Your depressed mood is starting to bother me.**_

Fu-kun was right, I was pissed. So I stood up, my bangs were shielding my eyes as I walked over to the twins and the conversation they were having only made it worse.

"You did a good job acting, Kaoru."

"You too, Hikaru. Good job coming up with the script."

"Thanks…Huh? You need something, Kohaku-senpai?"

My fist suddenly shot out and met with Hikaru's face. He fell to the floor in shock as the rest of the host club stared, trying to figure out what was going on, before I turned around and clobbered Kaoru too. Hikaru stood up and grabbed my collar, pissed that I had just gone and hit them without an explanation.

"What the hell's your problem?!"

"Dumbass." I whispered at first, but I quickly began yelling. Something no one was expecting coming from me. "You're both dumbasses! Faking this just because you were bored! And then dragging other people into it?! Did you ever think once-just once-that what you idiots were saying might actually hurt people?!"

He looked a bit taken aback for a moment, but quickly sobered up and went back to being stubborn.

"What are you talking about?! We never-"

He stopped mid sentence and his eyes widened as he looked at me. Tears were streaking down my face and my lips were quivering as I tried to hold back sobs. I was beyond upset at this point for multiple reasons and Hikaru let me go, not knowing how to deal with what was happening. Even Kaoru seemed at a loss and tried to back up his brother a bit.

"Senpai. We really don't know-"

"Bull shit! You're screwing with everyone's feelings and then making others have to clean up after you! Do you know how hard it is to remember it's just a game?! That it's just a beautiful _lie_?!"

I saw the recognition in their eyes as I pulled out the lyrics to the song I was singing in the cafeteria. _They were there._

"You idiots were there and you didn't even try to help! Even before that, I saw how mad you were at me for mentioning separating you two! Which part of this fight was fake and which part was real?! You think it's hard fighting and dealing with each other?! Try having no one to fight with anymore because they've been forcibly taken from you!"

I stood there panting while the others just looked at me in surprised and concern. The twins themselves were stunned and Fu-kun was the one who spoke first. _**Kid…I'm sorry.**_ I didn't know why he was apologizing, but that just about threw me over the edge. One sob escaped my throat before I swallowed it down and walked out of the door; Fu-kun following before climbing up my shoulders as I put my headphones over my ears.

* * *

"Kaoru-kun, Hikaru-kun I expect the two of you to apologize to Kohaku-senpai tomorrow."

Honey nodded. "Tama-chan is right. You made Ko-kun really upset."

Kaoru did feel a bit guilty about what he had done and he turned his head to stare at his brother. Hikaru felt bad about what they had done too, but he still wasn't quite sure what Kohaku was so angry about.

"I just don't understand what he was so angry about."

Haruhi glared at him, furious about the way he nonchalantly said that but before she could snap at him, Kyoya spoke first.

"He left yesterday after your little 'gay' comment looking like he had been crying. I would assume it had something to do with that, as well as what he said at the end of his…rant."

"_You think it's hard fighting and dealing with each other?! Try having no one to fight with anymore because they've been forcibly taken from you!"_

The host club collectively reflected on those words and Kyoya frowned as he wrote something down in his notebook.

"It seems he's hiding quite a bit from us."

Haruhi too, frowned. "He made it sound like he doesn't have any family. Could that be why he was so angry with them? Something happened to his family where they were taken from him?

"He was trying to help…In his own way. Don't you think, Kaoru-kun, Hikaru-kun?"

The twins glanced over at Tamaki and they seemed confused as Tamaki continued.

"'Which part of this fight was fake and which part was real' is what he said, correct? Kohaku-senpai may have found some aspects of your fight that were _real_ and he didn't want the two of you to fight when you could be taken away from each other at any moment."

Tamaki paused and Haruhi stared at him in slight awe. She had never seen Tamaki act so serious before and everything he was saying seemed so…_true._ As though he knew what Kohaku was going through.

"Something is troubling Kohaku-senpai and I believe it is our job to help him through it. What do you think, men?"

He smirked at the group of five men and Haruhi. He knew what it felt like to lose someone and, while he doesn't know what exactly happened to Kohaku, he wanted to do everything he could for his fellow host club member to see his smile again.

"Ah."

"Yeah! Let's go help Ko-kun!"

"I suppose we can make some time in our busy schedule."

"Can't just leave it alone…"

"Especially after what happened…"

"**Let's do it!"**

"He _has _been a bit depressed, but let's just try not to get _too _carried away."

Throwing his fist up into the air, Tamaki shouted.

"Then, let operation 'Make Kohaku Smile Again' commence!"


	5. Chapter 4

**Whoo! This took me a while to do, but it's finally done! T.T Just to let you know, I rewrote this three times before finally coming up with the beginning I liked and after a nasty writer's block. I seem to be getting those quite often nowadays...Ahem. Anyway, I really, _really_ hope you like this chapter because I just about cried writing one part of it and (as some of you may or may not know) I almost never cry so this was a very emotional chapter for me. Which is odd, because this has never happened before. Hm. Ah, geeze. I'm rambling again. Just make sure you review and tell me what you think! This chapter is longer than normal and a bit angst-y. I also think it starts to get a bit cheesy at the end, but hey. Whatever ^^ ENJOY!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Host Club or any Ouran related things involved int his story aside from Fu-kun and my OC and her family...and some of the plot too I guess. I also don't own "Waiting for the End" by Linkin Park nor "Some Nights" by Fun.  
**

* * *

"No!"

I sat up quickly; sweat rolling down my body in sheets as I reached forward into nothingness. It was yet another nightmare about losing everything that caused me to be awake at the unearthly time of…3:50 in the morning, according to the clock hanging on the wall. I pulled my hand through my hair with a sigh and gazed around the living room at all the scattered papers that were lying around me in a messy fashion. I really wasn't in the mood to pick them up and I could easily make my way through them anyway, so I had no need to organize them. _Besides, I miss the constant chaos I used to live in. That, and Fu-kun is sleeping on a good portion of them anyway. No need to wake him up._

Standing up with a yawn, I walked into the bathroom for a shower to wake me up a bit more since I wouldn't be able to go back to sleep anyway with the memories haunting me. The moment I turned the water on though, I immediately regretted the decision and jumped out of the spray of freezing cold water, managing to slip on the wet floor; tumbling down and hitting my head against the tile painfully. My vision swam dangerously as my heart beat pounded behind my skull. When I felt safe enough to stand, I grew fed up with everything and skipped out on the shower, dressed, and headed instead to the guest room that had the punching bag I practiced with when I had time. I didn't want to wake up Fu-kun, so I shut the doors and put my larger headphones on letting music pump into my ears as I punched away at the bag before me.

"_This is not the end, this is not the beginning_

_Just a voice like a riot rocking every revision_

_But you listen to the tone and the violent rhythm_

_Though the words sound steady something empty's within them_

_We say yeah with fists flying up in the air_

_Like we're holding onto something that's invisible there_

_Cause we're living at the mercy of the pain and the fear_

_Until we dead it, forget it, let it all disappear_

_Waiting for the end to come_

_Wishing I had strength to stand_

_This is not what I had planned_

_It's out of my control_

_Flying at the speed of light_

_Thoughts were spinning in my head_

_So many things were left unsaid_

_It's hard to let you go_

_I know what it takes to move on_

_I know how it feels to lie_

_All I want to do_

_Is trade this life for something new_

_Holding on to what I haven't got"_

Sweat dripped down my face as my fists met the punching bag over and over again in quick succession. Every ounce of my being was focused on releasing the pent up frustration and anger as the melody of "Waiting for the End" by Linkin Park came through my headphones. I was having such a hard time forgetting about my family I left behind and I _knew_ that I had 'what it takes to move on' but I also knew that it's also completely out of my control. God's the one who sent me here and, although I don't know why, I had no say about it.

"_Sitting in an empty room_

_Trying to forget the past_

_This was never meant to last_

_I wish it wasn't so_

_I know what it takes to move on_

_I know how it feels to lie_

_All I want to do_

_Is trade this life for something new_

_Holding on to what I haven't got"_

I ignored any aches and pain I was feeling physically, and concentrated more on the mental hurt. I was desperately trying to hold on to the family I didn't have any more and now that I have something new, I'm still not able to forget the past. It was just now that I realized that everything was just barely sinking in. That, and the fact that I still had school today and I needed to make up with the twins.

"_What was left when that fire was gone_

_I thought it felt right but that right was wrong_

_All caught up in the eye of the storm_

_And trying to figure out what it's like moving on_

_And I don't even know what kind of things I said_

_My mouth kept moving and my mind went dead_

_So I'm picking up the pieces, now where to begin_

_The hardest part of ending is starting again"_

This part of the song had me regretting everything I had done yesterday at school. Not only had I punched both twins out of frustration, but I don't even remember what I said to the twins. I had been so caught up in the fight that I'd also walked out on everyone who was trying to help. When I first ended up in Ouran, I though everything _was_ right. I thought that I'd be okay because I was starting over, but 'the hardest part of ending is starting again' and I never recognized that fact.

"_All I want to do_

_Is trade this life for something new_

_Holding on to what I haven't got_

_This is not the end, this is not the beginning_

_Just a voice like a riot rocking every revision_

_But you listen to the tone and the violent rhythm_

_Though the words sound steady something empty's within them_

_We say yeah with fists flying up in the air_

_Like we're holding onto something that's invisible there_

_Cause we're living at the mercy of the pain and the fear_

_Until we dead it, forget it let it all disappear"_

I stopped finally, breathing heavily as I leaned my forehead against the bag. _What am I doing? Now's my chance to start over and I'm wasting it by being the same as I was back home first starting out in college. I'm avoiding everyone around me and pushing away those who are getting close. _I shook my head and frowned.

"God, I'm so messed up."

_**At least you understand your position now.**_ I turned around and spotted Fu-kun on the floor, a small ferret sized hole in the paper door. My left eye twitched as he calmly licked his paw like a cat.

"Yeah. Too bad you don't understand the position _you're_ in right now."

He stopped and gave me a questioning glance, cocking his head to the side in confusion. I merely pointed to the hole in the door with a frown. He turned slowly and stared at it before turning back to me. All it took was a blink and he was gone, back out the hole he'd left.

"Fu-kun!" I yelled as I chased him around the small apartment. "Who do you think has to pay for that?!"

_**Not me!**_ He gave a chuckle as he dashed to a safe spot behind the fridge. I don't even know how he got into a space that small, but he managed to thwart me in my mission of strangling him. With an amused huff, I tossed my hands up. _I'm not cleaning you when you come out of there, so I hope you enjoy the dirt._ At that, he scampered out and began running around the island in the middle of the kitchen as thought that would help fling the dirt off his white (now grey) coat. I laughed.

"I'm just kidding!…but we'll have to make it quick. I only have half an hour before I need to get to school."

He stopped as I began filling up the sink with semi-warm water. _Oh, _now_ it's heated.__** Hm, I'm surprised. I though you'd skip out on school after snapping at the twins. You don't seem like the silent, enduring type.**_ _You don't know much then, do you?_ He scowled as I lifted him up to the counter and I smiled sadly. _My mom used to always bug me about things that were bothering me, but I hardly told her anything. You'd be surprised how many nights I cried myself to sleep due to all the things I never told anyone._ He dropped the subject and slunk into the sink as I went to grab a towel and some shampoo from the bathroom.

When I returned, I smiled at the sight of Fu-kun floating on his back in the water comfortably. Too bad he wouldn't be able to enjoy it for much longer. I poked him in the stomach, throwing off his balance and dunking him in the water. He glared at me as he surfaced, but allowed me to wash him without much hassle.

School, on the other hand, was slightly less than I'd hoped for. Every class gave unimaginable amounts of homework (not that it mattered. I had a college education anyway) and Honey and Mori kept giving me concerned glances. _**Well, I can see why. You've been staring out of that window depressed the whole day.**_ I frowned at Fu-kun and began pulling on his cheeks. _At least I'm trying! It's hard to forget something like this so easily. Okay?_ I stopped tugging his cheeks as the bell rang for the end of our last class and dread began to seep in.

Looking to my right, I saw that glint in Honey's eyes, as he turned my way and packed up his things. _Oh crap._ Scrambling to gather my belongings, I tossed them haphazardly into my messenger bag and ran towards the door. It was when I saw the floor a ways below me that I grew confused and stopped running. Slowly glazing up, I silently hoped it wasn't who I thought it was that was holding me six feet off the ground. Blue-green eyes met brown and I pouted; slumping down in defeat.

"Hi Mori-kun…"

"Hn."

Honey stood under me with a big grin on his face. Obviously happy that he had caught me before I could make my great escape. He didn't even bother to tell me where we were going, just started rambling on and on about what kinds of cake him and I were going to eat to cheer me up.

"We'll have strawberry, and chocolate, and devil's food cake, and angel cake, and cheesecake, and-"

Oh my gosh, the list went on and on. By the time we reached the club room, he had named over two hundred different cakes and I doubted that even _he_ could eat that many cakes in one sitting. I sighed as Mori and Honey walked into music room three with me hanging limply in Mori's arms.

"We brought Ko-kun just like you said, Tama-chan!"

_So this was blondie's idea?_ I lifted my head enough to glare at the rambunctious idiot as he dashed towards me to give me one of his famous hugs. The moron froze in place for only a second before disappearing to his corner of woe, crying about how his son doesn't love him. I could care less as Mori set me down and I brushed myself off. Spotting the twins in Arabian outfits sitting on their couch, I took a deep breath and headed over.

"Hikaru-kun, Kaoru-kun. I'm sorry for what happened yesterday. I shouldn't have over reacted and…you may hit me back if you want."

I bowed as the two of them stared at me in shock. They both stood from the couch and I lifted my head in preparation for what was coming to me. Hikaru was the first to raise his fist and I closed my eyes. What I didn't expect, was the two flicks to my forehead and opening my eyes to find the two devils grinning.

"You're not the one…"

"…who should be saying sorry…"

"…**senpai."**

I blinked in confusion as their arms wrapped around my shoulders and they began leading me to the changing room.

"We shouldn't have said those things to you before."

"Yeah. We didn't know they would hurt you like that."

"**So, we're sorry."**

With that, they closed the door to the changing room behind them and stared at me with their usual predatory smirk. I gulped and reached to use Fu-kun as a shield-_**Hey!**_-but he wasn't on my shoulders. I was alone in a small room with the twins. _Well, this day certainly hasn't been going as I would have hoped._

"I-I forgive you. S-So could y-you leave so I c-c-can change?"

Their grins did the impossible and grew larger. That definitely did not bode well for me.

* * *

Outside of the changing room, the group stood and discussed what had just happened as well as what Mori and Honey had to say about how Kohaku acted in their classes.

"Ko-kun was really sad. He kept staring out the window."

"Ah."

Haruhi put a hand to her chin in thought.

"Why did he ask the twins to hit him though?"

Kyoya pushed up his glasses. "Perhaps he blamed himself for what happened and felt as though he overreacted. Which he did, I might point out."

Haruhi frowned. "Sure, it might have been a bit much…but if he's really lost his family then it's understandable."

The group nodded solemnly when yells from the changing room echoed across the room.

"I already told you! I don't need help!"

"**But Kohaku-senpai!"**

The twins were shoved out of the room by a blushing Kohaku and the moment the door closed in their faces, they began laughing hysterically with their hands over their stomachs.

"Ahaha! D-Did you see…"

"…his face?!"

"**Priceless!"**

The others shook their heads with small smiles. Happy that Kohaku had returned to his normal self. Even if it was for only a moment.

* * *

Back in the changing room, I frowned at the mess that my clothes were in thanks to the twin devils. My tie was on the floor along with my blazer and my shirt now had a few buttons missing. I was just glad that I'd managed to kick them out before they went too far. Gazing at the mannequin that had my Arabic outfit on it, I gapped open mouthed. _They really went all out, didn't they?_

The outfit was wonderfully soft and a nice navy blue color with silver trimming. I had also gotten lucky and ended up with one that was similar to Kyoya's in the way that it covered anything important. I paused as I put on the turban. _I wonder if he knows that I'm a girl._ As I walked out of the room trying to get my earrings on, I shook my head. _Nah, if he knew I'd be blackmailed by now._ My expression grew bored as I took a seat on my assigned couch and leaned my head back with a sigh.

"Um, are you okay Kohaku-senpai?"

I tilted my head forward and looked at Haruhi as she handed me a cup of tea instead of the usual commoner's coffee, since I don't like the taste of it. I accepted it with a sad smile.

"Truthfully?…I've been better. I've just got a lot on my mind at the moment."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

I stopped sipping my tea and set it down on the table as I actually considered what she had said. Do _I want to talk about it? I mean, it'll be nice to get everything off my mind and to share some of the burden with someone else, but…how much will it help? It still won't change the fact that they're gone._ As I thought about it more, the pros began to outweigh the cons and my face grew more and more troubled. Haruhi saw this and quickly began to try and fix what she thought she had done wrong.

"Y-You don't have to tell me if you don't want to!"

I chuckled, coming out of my daze pretty quickly.

"You know, that's the same thing you said when we first met Haruhi-kun."

She flushed a bit and tried to hide her face behind her own cup of tea. I stopped laughing and looked over to my right where the other hosts were doing their own things.

"I suppose I could talk about it, though, Haruhi-kun."

Her head snapped up. "Really?"

"Yeah. It'd be nice to get some of this off my chest and you're so easy to talk to. I haven't stuttered once since we started talking. Ah, but I don't want you telling the others. Okay?"

"Okay…but why?"

"Think about it. What I'm about to tell you is very personal and very…depressing. Kyoya-kun would use it as blackmail. Honey-kun would cry every time he saw me. Tamaki-kun would demand hugs _constantly. _The twins would try to be _nice _to me and Mori-kun would probably look at me with pity. That, and I'm not quite ready to tell them yet. They're good friends and all, but I feel like they're just not…close enough. Uh, do you understand? I feel like I'm not saying this very well."

I nervously rubbed the back of my neck and Haruhi shook her hand.

"No. I get it. I promise I won't tell them."

I nodded, smiling slightly, then opened my mouth to tell her about my family when Kyoya clapped loudly. All eyes turned to him and he pushed up his glasses.

"Positions. It's time to welcome our guests."

We all went to our places and I couldn't tell whether I was happy or not that I didn't have to tell Haruhi about what happened. I sighed and decided that a part of me really _did_ want to tell her, as I snatched up Fu-kun and placed him on my shoulders. Standing in my place next to Kyoya, we welcomed our guests only to find a young boy staring at us in shock on the floor.

"What? It's just a kid."

I rolled my eyes at Hikaru and watched as Tamaki tried to flatter the small boy.

"What's the matter? Are you lost? Or did you come to my palace for something?"

"Are you the king?"

"Oh God. He's done it now."

I muttered as I pinched the bridge of my nose. Tamaki didn't believe what he had heard and stepped closer for the boy to repeat the word. He then went off into his own little world and we all sighed and tried to bring him back to reality.

"**King!"**

The kid from before then stood up and pointed his finger at us, looking determined.

"I am Junior Section, grade 5, class A's, Shiro Takaouji! I would like to apply as the host club king's apprentice!"

I smacked my face with my palm and groaned, heading to the changing room to change out of the costume. _Great. Now I have to deal with this stupid kid. If I remember correctly, he's really perceptive too. The sooner this is over with, the better._ During my inner monologue, Tamaki had accepted the kid and the actual guests entered the room. I didn't have any guests at the moment, for which I was lucky, and instead stood with Haruhi and Kyoya as they watched the demon spawn screw with Tamaki's customers.

"Learning from such close observation…Isn't it distracting?"

"Tamaki was preaching that close-up observations could reflect more of his beauty. It's better to just ignore him."

I nodded. "That's probably best. Tamaki's gonna regret it in a minute anyway."

Kyoya raised a brow and I just pointed over at them as Shiro started harassing the customer.

"If I must say it, she's more like the crucian carp in my garden's pond. I would never use such blatant words of flattery."

The girl dashed out of the room with tears streaming down her face, yelling about Tamaki being an idiot. _Doesn't she know that Tamaki isn't the one who said that?__** Apparently not.**_ The twins walked up then, and began patting Shiro on the head as a job well done in Torturing Tamaki 101.

"This is great! You've got a cute little brother here, my lord!"

"Hikaru…" _Oh man. They're gonna expose that kid to twincest? __**Better now than later.**__ True._ "Hikaru, you'd prefer a brother like him better?"

Hikaru hugged Kaoru, looking serious.

"Idiot! Even if I searched the world over, no one could compare to you."

"Hikaru…"

The poor kid was shell-shocked while the guests screamed in awe. You could practically see the hearts floating above their heads. Shiro turned around and dashed towards Haruhi, jarring her a bit but not causing her to drop anything. Yet.

"What is it? Oh. Did those suspicious people scare you? I was scared too, but when you've been with them long enough you'll become like a monk and won't be surprised by anything."

I blinked at her explanation, not really understanding the part about the monk, when Shiro said something that freaked Tamaki and the twins out.

"Are you a transvestite?"

The three of them began trying to steer the kid away from Haruhi and get him occupied on something else, but the moment they mentioned giving him the tea tray, I was there to save Haruhi from further debt.

"Okay then. This is heavy, be careful-"

She handed the tray over, but I grabbed one end just as the kid let go. The tea sloshed out of the cups and onto my pour, abused hands. I winced but showed no other reaction as I set the tea tray to the side. No need to further worry them when there was already one problem at hand. I then went back over to the kid as Tamaki grabbed him and began yelling at him.

"What's wrong with you?!"

"Don't make a child hold something heavy like that! Be grateful that freak caught it and didn't screw anything up!"

_Freak?_ My left eye twitched. My temper was mostly controllable, but my emotions were a mess today and one more thing would probably send me over the edge with this brat.

"Shiro-chan! Let's have some cake together! I have chocolate and strawberry!"

Honey exclaimed as he pulled Shiro into a hug.

"Annoying. What grade are you in?"

_That's it._ I stalked over as Shiro freaked out about Mori, grabbed the brat by the back of his collar, and lifted him off the floor.

"Hey! What are you-"

His eyes grew wide at the look on my face. It was a mix of annoyance, anger, and disdain.

"Apologize."

"W-What? No way!"

"Then you'll be punished."

He looked scared, but I simply put him in a cage that the twins had set up against one wall. The guests were gone after all, so no need to worry about playing my role as the shy host.

"W-What is this?!"

"Time out."

He dropped open his mouth in shock and I smirked. Walking away, I ignored the conversation between him and Tamaki. Instead, I took a seat across from Kyoya as he typed away on his laptop. Him, Haruhi, and Mori were the few semi-normal people and the only ones who could keep me sane at the moment. Fu-kun hopped up on my lap and I absentmindedly pet him.

"I'm surprised."

"Hm?" I looked at Kyoya in question.

"You're normally very level-headed and yet one word set you off."

I nodded. "True. I've had a lot going on though. Stress piles up and all it needs is a little push before everything starts tumbling down."

"You're not stuttering."

I blinked in surprise, but gave a short chuckle. "Yeah. I suppose I haven't been stuttering. You seemed to have unconsciously made it into my good books then, Kyoya-kun."

He hummed and stood up before returning with a first aid kit. Setting it on the table, he opened it up and pulled out bandages and burn cream, holding his hand out to me. I sighed and gave him one of my hands.

"How'd you know? I thought I was hiding it pretty well."

"I'm the son of a doctor, remember? It's my job to know when one of the host club members are hurt, be it physical…or _emotional_ pain."

The way he said 'emotional' had me slightly on edge which he noticed, smirking at me when my hand tightened slightly in his.

"If you don't want to teach me seriously, then forget it!"

My head whipped around to see Shiro run out the doors and I pulled my hand away from Kyoya's since he had finished. I nodded my head in thanks, which he returned regretfully, and I grabbed my stuff as I walked towards Haruhi.

"Hey, Haruhi. I'll walk you home since we have things we need to talk about."

"Uh…okay."

Tamaki began screaming at us as we left and I tossed my arm across Haruhi's shoulders for good measure, turning around to stick my tongue out at him.

"You really shouldn't do that Kohaku-senpai. It's not nice to tease him."

"Ah, Haruhi. One must enjoy the simple things in life and _that_ is a simple thing that must be done every once in a while for pure enjoyment. Don't you agree?"

I smiled down at her and she just shook her head with a small smile.

"I guess you're right senpai."

"No more 'senpai'. You're about to learn quite a bit about me, Haru-chan. So why not become familiar."

She gave me and odd look, but nodded.

"Good. Then let's start with something important. Haruhi…..I'm a girl."

* * *

**Tada~! That's the end of this chapter ^^ nah. I'm just kidding. I couldn't leave it at that. I love my readers too much to do such a thing. So onwards!**

* * *

_**Uh, kid? I think you broke her.**_ I turned to the side to look at Haruhi, only she wasn't there and was actually a few paces behind me, her eyes wide in shock. I sighed and walked back, grabbing her arm and making her walk again as she tried to collect her thoughts. It took a while and we were a few blocks from her house before she finally began speaking again.

"Y-You're joking, right?"

I shook my head. "Nope. I'm 100% female, despite my looks. I'd show you proof, but I'm not one for flashing people."

That seemed to wake her up a bit more as her face flushed and she dropped her head into her hand. I simply laughed at her reaction as we reached the steps to the apartment complex. She blinked as I walked up the stairs without her before quickly following me up.

"How did you know where I lived, Kohaku-sen…Kohaku-chan?"

I frowned. "Ugh, please no '_chan_' use 'kun'. I like that one better and didn't I tell you? I live next door to you."

I smiled as her mouth dropped open in surprise, unlocking my own door and tossing my messenger bag into the apartment before locking it and standing in front of her door. Waving my hand in a flourish, I gestured towards the knob.

"Are we going in? Or are we going to talk in my place?"

"N-No. We can go to mine. I just…never realized. You really do have a lot of things you need to tell me, huh?"

I nodded, sadly. "Yeah. And that's not even half of it."

She sighed and opened the door, welcoming me into her home and removing her shoes. I did the same and took my place in the living room as she made some tea. Fu-kun fell to my lap and promptly got comfortable before falling asleep.

"Hey, Haruhi-chan! Your dad home from work yet?"

"Uh, no. Wait! You've met my dad too?!"

"Yep. Helped me out when my place was robbed. Nice guy."

She returned with the tea and an odd look on her face. I just smirked as I sipped my tea.

"You'll learn, Haru-chan, that I'm a very accepting person. Very rarely do I judge people based on what they look like and when I do, I keep it to myself and treat them as I would anyone else. Japanese, white, African American, tall, short, anorexic, over-weight, straight or gay; it's what makes them who they are and who am I to judge?"

She smiled softly and sat down across from me. "You're a really good person, Kohaku-kun."

"So you say, but you'd be surprised. I've done a few bad things here and there."

I gave a short laugh just as the door slammed open and Ranka burst through with his arms open wide.

"Haruhi!~ I'm home! I heard voices. Do you have a girl friend over?~"

Haruhi gave me a questioning glance and I just waved her onward.

"I, uh, guess you can say that."

He turned the corner and spotted me, his face lighting up with a grin as he fell to his knees, tackling me in a hug.

"Oh, Ko-kun!~ How are you? Did you fix up your apartment alright?"

"Yes. Thanks for your concern and, um, c-could you stay with us for a moment? I-I know you just got back from work and you're tired, but I need to tell Haruhi a few things a-and I thought…you'd might like to hear it as well. I actually, _really_ hope you'd stay."

He looked at me with a worried face, not having seen me ask for help even when my apartment was robbed. He nodded and sat at the end of the table between Haruhi and I. Taking a deep breath, I dragged a hand through my short hair to prepare for what I was going to tell them.

"Okay. First, I'm not sure if you know or not, Ranka-san, but I'm a girl."

"I figured as much. It was either that or a very shy, very confused boy. You pull the part quite well though, I must say."

I smiled a bit and set my elbows on the table, hands clenched and jaw set tightly.

"Well then, um, I suppose I should start out from the beginning, but I…I can't tell you everything. Some of it's so…unbelievable I just, can't. But, um…The beginning, right? Where to start…"

"How about, with your family?"

I glanced over at Haruhi and nodded. "I have none…I used to have four sisters and a brother along with my parents, but they're gone."

They seemed to be getting the wrong idea, probably thinking they were dead, but I didn't know whether or not I should correct them. To me, they almost were dead. Or at least, I was dead. Ranka grabbed my hands in his and gave a small squeeze, encouraging me to continue.

"I was the oldest in my family then came my sister Sarah, then my brother Patrick, then the rest going down; Melody, Catherine, and Jennifer."

"Those aren't Japanese names."

I chuckled a bit. "No. Yet another thing you don't know about me. I'm not from here. I'm from America. California to be precise."

"What?! But you don't look like it!"

"Sorry. That's one of the bits I can't tell you."

_Yeah. Like the fact that I'm not even from this world and that I died in my old one. _I shook my head and bit my bottom lip hard to try and forget the thought. I couldn't even tell them everything and I'd forever feel guilty for not doing so. It's something I can't tell anyone. I took another deep, shuddering breath and let it out before steadying myself.

"So, I have no relatives a-and live by myself with Fu-kun. I have a job as a novelist for the extra money, aside from what I get every month from some unknown source for the necessities."

"Why are you telling us this, Kohaku-kun? I mean, why now?"

My hands started shaking as I held my head, sobs trying to choke me as I held them back.

"I just…I-I just needed to let it out. I've been to the boxing gym every day since I came here. J-Just beating myself up a-about everything. It's a-all just building up a-and I-I'm falling apart. I can feel it. I needed to t-tell someone, b-but I didn't know who. F-Fu-kun is all I have a-and I c-c-can't…I c-can't cry. I can't let go b-because they need me."

"Who needs you, Ko-chan?"

"I-I need to be s-strong because I-I can't let my f-f-family see me cry. They need me. I c-can't just leave them."

The tears finally fell down my face and the sobs broke through my barrier, dripping on Fu-kun as he woke and tried to comfort me. Arms wrapped around my form and I clutched desperately to Ranka's shirt, just crying out everything that I'd been holding in for the past few days.

It was the first time I'd cried in months, even when I was back at home I rarely cried. My friends used to always use me as a pillar of strength because I never showed them how much I was hurting inside. My siblings did the same as I held back my tears when our grandmother died. It felt good to finally have someone else be that strength for me. To have someone that could comfort me instead of the other way around.

My energy was sapped from me as I cried for who knows how long. Slowly, my tears dried up and I could feel myself falling into the inky blackness called sleep. With one last squeeze, I breathed out what I wanted to say.

"Thank you…Thank you for being here."

* * *

Ranka had his own tears falling down his face, as did Haruhi when they heard everything Kohaku had gone through. _I didn't even know. She had _this_ much happening to her and she still managed to stay strong to the end, all for her family. Good God, Kohaku. What will the host club do when they find out about this? _I'm_ not_ _going to tell them, but they will find out sooner or later. They always do._ Haruhi wiped her tears and picked up Fu-kun as he watched Kohaku, looking as sad as a ferret can get. She finally understood why Kohaku was angry at the twins and why she was constantly seen speaking with Fu-kun. Fu-kun was her only family now, so he was all she _could_ talk to. He also had that look that says he knows what's going on. As though he understands everything. _Maybe he does speak to her. It wouldn't surprise me. She's not crazy, after all. She just needed a friend._

"Seems she's asleep. I'll take her to your room, Haruhi. Is that okay with you? I'd take her home, but…"

He trailed off, but Haruhi understood. "But there's no one there for her…Yeah, I don't mind. You should get to sleep too, dad. You have work later. I'll wake you up for dinner."

"Thank you Haruhi…I just can't believe she kept all of this hidden for so long. She must have been a good daughter."

Haruhi smiled slightly as she went towards the kitchen to start on dinner.

"Yeah…and a good friend too."

* * *

Haruhi woke me up the next day, somehow managing to deal with the early-morning-me quite easily. Surprisingly, she was pretty good at cooking American-styled food and I happily munched away on pancakes and scrambled eggs. Although, looking at my face you wouldn't be able to tell.

My eyes had bags under them from a nightmare I woke up to in the middle of the night (luckily, Haruhi's a heavy sleeper), and my face was entirely blank. One could tell I had just woken up just by the way my hair stood up on end with cowlicks pointing in every direction. Then, while I was happy on the inside, my whole outer appearance screamed exhaustion and boredom.

"Do you always go to school like this, Kohaku-kun?"

I nodded without a care in the world, still half out of it even as we walked to school. I was jealous of Fu-kun sleeping away on my shoulders since we had woken up earlier than normal to walk to school.

Classes went by in a breeze though, unlike yesterday, and soon it was time for the club to start. I was a bit more awake at this point, but one sight of those stairs and I wished I was back in my own apartment in my bed. Honey was already halfway up the stairs, bounding from step to step with a big grin on his face while I stayed at the bottom glaring at the steps.

"Are you coming?"

"I don't wanna. Too many stairs."

Mori blinked at my answer with a slight twitch of his lips that could be considered a smile, before he knelt to the floor and pointed to his back.

"Get on."

I looked at him confused for a second, not completely registering what he was telling me to do when it hit me like a brick in the face. _Oh, he wants to carry me to the room. Um…I shouldn't, but I'm so lazy today. _With a shrug, I climbed on and he easily picked me up and carried me up the daunting stairs. The gentle up and down rhythm quickly and effectively put me to sleep.

When I did wake up, I was still on Mori's back but we were in another part of the school building that I didn't recognize. At the sight of the small kids walking through the hall, I confirmed that we were in the elementary school section most likely looking for Shiro. Yawning, I mumbled to Mori.

"You can put me down now…And thank you."

"Ah."

He set me down and it wasn't quite sinking in that I had just gotten a piggyback ride from the tall senior. _And I'm sure when it does sink in, that I'll be blushing by mad but for now, I'm good._ Stretching my arms over my head, I wandered over to Kyoya.

"Hey, what was the point of dressing Haruhi and Honey up in disguises when we were just going to follow them in the first place?"

He pushed up his glasses. "You were asleep and didn't hear the discussion earlier, but Tamaki wanted Haruhi to wear the middle school uniform because he believed she would look 'cute' in it. The twins agreed and when Honey heard, he wanted a costume as well."

"So, in other words, it's just to make Tamaki and Honey happy?"

"Yes."

"I see. I suppose she does look cute in that."

_It's better than what she normally wears._ Kyoya didn't hear my thoughts, so he probably assumed I liked Haruhi and wrote something down in his notebook. I wasn't about to correct him. _It'll be nice to watch his reaction when he finds out I'm a girl and most of his information is wrong._ I smirked to myself and followed the others as they entered the classroom. Honey was playing a recorder while everyone was reminiscing.

"Ah~ makes me feel nostalgic. We used to be in this classroom too."

"I wonder if the graffiti on the desks are still there."

"They change the desks every year, so I doubt your drawings would still be there."

I hummed to myself as I went and sat down on a desk. I'd never been here before so I had nothing to share. In fact, I was probably only here because I was bored and had nothing better to do. Haruhi silenced everyone as a teacher passed and I pulled on my headphones to sing quietly to myself as we followed them down the hall. I knew the whole plot anyway and this was one of the less interesting mini plots that I never really cared for. _I always love the beach and the jungle pool SOS parts, but I totally forgot when those happen. I just know their after each other and before the Lobelia chicks come up._ I shivered in disgust at the thought of the Zuka club as a good song came on.

"_Some nights, I stay up cashing in my bad luck_

_Some nights, I call it a draw_

_Some nights, I wish that my lips could build a castle_

_Some nights, I wish they'd just fall off_

_But I still wake up, I still see your ghost_

_Oh Lord, I'm still not sure what I stand for oh_

_What do I stand for? What do I stand for?_

_Most nights, I don't know anymore..._

_Oh whoa, oh whoa, oh whoa oh oh_

_Oh whoa, oh whoa, oh whoa oh oh_

_This is it, boys, this is war - what are we waiting for?_

_Why don't we break the rules already?_

_I was never one to believe the hype - save that for the black and white_

_I try twice as hard and I'm half as liked, but here they come again to jack my style_

_And that's alright; I found a martyr in my bed tonight_

_She stops my bones from wondering just who I, who I, who I am_

_Oh, who am I? mmm... mmm..._

_Well, some nights, I wish that this all would end_

_Cause I could use some friends for a change_

_And some nights, I'm scared you'll forget me again_

_Some nights, I always win, I always win..._

_But I still wake up, I still see your ghost_

_Oh Lord, I'm still not sure what I stand for, oh_

_What do I stand for? What do I stand for?_

_Most nights, I don't know…"_

I watched with amusement as Tamaki used his charm to get more information on a nearby girl as I continued to sing softly in the background, not noticing the pair of eyes that had been on me constantly since I started.

"_So this is it? I sold my soul for this?_

_Washed my hands of that for this?_

_I miss my mom and dad for this?_

_No. When I see stars, when I see, when I see stars, that's all they are_

_When I hear songs, they sound like this one, so come on_

_Oh, come on. Oh, come on, OH COME ON!_

_Well, that is it guys, that is all - five minutes in and I'm bored again_

_Ten years of this, I'm not sure if anybody understands_

_This one is not for the folks at home; Sorry to leave, mom, I had to go_

_Who the fuck wants to die alone all dried up in the desert sun?_

_My heart is breaking for my sister and the con that she call "love"_

_When I look into my nephew's eyes..._

_Man, you wouldn't believe the most amazing things that can come from..._

_Some terrible lies…"_

This part was auto-tuned in the song, but I just sang it an octave lower and it sounded just as good. I could care less that Tamaki had just thrown Shiro over his shoulder.

"_Oh whoa, oh whoa, oh whoa, oh oh_

_Oh whoa, oh whoa, oh whoa, oh oh_

_The other night, you wouldn't believe the dream I just had about you and me_

_I called you up, but we'd both agree_

_It's for the best you didn't listen_

_It's for the best we get our distance... oh..._

_It's for the best you didn't listen_

_It's for the best we get our distance... oh…"_

The song drifted off into silence and I gave a small smile as I removed my headphones and walked calmly behind a majority of the group as they went to catch up with Tamaki. The only one walking with me was Kyoya.

"What's it called?"

"Huh?"

He sighed. "The song you were singing a moment ago. What is it called?"

I flushed a bit, now that I knew that he had heard me singing.

"I-It's called, 'Some Nights' by Fun. I liked it the moment I heard it and it's one of my favorite songs, even though the meaning's a bit sad."

"Hm. Have you finally fixed your problems?"

I blinked once at that question and turned to him in surprise. _He almost sounds _caring_._

"It would begin to affect the profits in the host club if you stayed depressed for too long."

_Nevermind. Same old Kyoya._ "I suppose. Nothing's really _solved_, but I finally talked to someone about it so the burden has lightened up a bit."

He stayed quiet, reaching to push up his glasses again, but I grabbed a hold of his hand.

"Stop that."

"Excuse me?"

The glare he gave me made me want to melt, but I stood my ground.

"I-It's annoying. You shouldn't always be trying to hide behind your glasses like that. You should show your emotions every once in a while, you know."

He yanked his arm out of my grip and gave me a look so malicious, that I winced and shrunk back.

"I could say the same to you."

With that, he stormed off with the dignity of a king while I stood there in shock; my legs turning into jelly. _W-What? __**You need some ice for that burn?**_ I scowled and yanked Fu-kun's tail to get him to shut up as my legs returned to their solid form and I was able to walk again. I hurried up to the club room and stopped just inside the room as Tamaki began playing the piano. Haruhi wasn't the only one in shock. _This is so much better than the anime. I _wish_ I could play that good._ He slowed to a stop with his hands still hovering over the keys.

"From what I saw, it looks like she wanted to play the piano with you."

He gave a sweet smile that even had _my_ heart skip a beat before he ruined it by shouting, "A one-week long concentrated extreme practice!"

"Eh?!"

I sighed, but strolled up to Haruhi as she continued to stand there in a state of shock. _**What are you doing?**__ Moving the story along, of course. _Leaning over her shoulder so that I could whisper in her ear, I smirked devilishly.

"He's good, huh?"

"Yeah."

"Beautiful piano."

"Yeah."

"You like him, don't you?"

"Yea-Wait, what?! Kohaku-kun!"

I laughed and dashed off as Tamaki had heard Haruhi call my name informally (kun is friendlier than senpai or san) and proceeded to distracted her as I made my escape. I could still hear them as I left the music room.

"Why won't you call _me_ Tamaki-kun?!"

"Because, senpai! Now let me go!"

I chuckled and went home to prepare for the coming up week of boredom, now that Tamaki was teaching Shiro for the next week. _Ah, what a wonderfully relaxing week it will be._

* * *

My God, was I wrong.

"Crap, crap, crap, CRAP! Where's my manuscript?! I still need to shower and get ready for the stupid piano concert AND meet up with my manager for the next installment. Gah! Why the hell are there piano sheets mixed in with my papers?!"

I threw paper after paper around the room, regretting bringing my manuscript with me to school to work on during Tamaki's training. A knocking came to my door and I scrambled through the mountain of papers to get the door. Panting, I freaked as Haruhi stood outside the door with her hand raised to knock again.

"What? What? What?!"

"Um, we need to leave now if we want to be at school on time, uh, is everything okay?"

"No, no, no. Nothing's okay! I can't find my manuscript. I still need to shower, and I keep finding these piano sheets everywhere!"

I waved a handful of said sheets and continued to frantically search the room as Haruhi picked up Fu-kun, who wanted nothing more than to escape my insane searching spree. Haruhi came forward to pick up something, but I turned, stopping her.

"Don't touch that! Believe it or not, everything in here is organized to my own system. You move anything and I'll have to start over."

"O-Okay. Um, you said piano sheets, right? Is it possible that you grabbed the piano sheets that Tamaki used for Shiro-san and _he_ has your manuscript?"

The papers I had dropped to the floor.

"Say that again?"

"You grabbed the-"

"No, the other part. About Tamaki."

"He has your manuscript?"

"Agh! Out of everyone who could get a hold of it, why him?! Wait…maybe he didn't read it. Tamaki wouldn't just read something that wasn't his. The most he would do is search for the owner."

I ran around the room and scooped up any and all piano sheets, double checking that I had all the pages and that they were in the right order, before shoving them into Haruhi's arms.

"Hold this."

"W-What? Where are you going? We need to leave, Kohaku-kun!"

"I'll be quick!"

The shower I took lasted virtually seconds and I came out in my uniform with my wet hair still dripping down into my face and my shirt sticking to my skin. Grabbing the papers and my bag, I tugged Haruhi out the door (locking it, of course) and hurried to the school.

After classes, I dashed to the music room without Honey and Mori and ran in gasping for air. Hands on my knees, I held out the music sheets and glared at Tamaki.

"Give…me…my…manuscript!"

He blinked once before what I said finally penetrated his thick skull and a _smile, _of all things, appeared on his face. It wasn't just your normal smile either. I could feel the evil intentions behind it. Well, they weren't really evil, but you get the idea. Tamaki was up to something.

"Kohaku-senpai! I'm so glad you found the music! I though for sure that I'd have to print out another copy!"

My eye twitched. _He's messing with me. What I have is unimportant and easily replaceable, but what _he_ has is impossible to reproduce with the small amount of time I have left before the meeting. Conniving little-He's been hanging around Kyoya too long._

"Where's. My. Manuscript?"

He looked slightly taken aback, having never seen me seriously angry or anything other than the shy, quiet persona I usually had. But he quickly brought the smile back up. He walked over to the table behind him and held up the manuscript.

"You mean this? It was such a beautiful piece! Why didn't my son tell me he could write so elegantly?"

"You never asked. Now give it-"

"It's such a wonderful story! I adore the main character, Kaede, and his quest to find the loved one of his long lost memories! Without his family there to care for him, it is admirable how he travels the world as a rogue samurai searching for the truth!"

Tamaki was so off into the world I had invented that he didn't notice me come up and snatch the manuscript right out of his hand. The look on my face had his smile disappearing in seconds. I was absolutely livid at the fact that someone other than myself and my manager had read the story before it was published. Not to mention the fact that someone discovered that _I_ was the one who wrote it (I wrote under a pseudonym/pen name) and that Tamaki had so blatantly disregarded my privacy.

"And here I trusted you enough to think you wouldn't read it. Seems I was mistaken."

The other hosts walked in at that moment and I stormed off to the changing room to put on the suit we were supposed to wear for the mini-concert. Fixing the tie as I walked out, I tried to force the scowl off my face in an attempt to hide the fact that I was pissed at Tamaki. Surprisingly, he wasn't moping in a corner but I could still see that his cheery smile was forced and that he wouldn't even look in my direction. _**Don't you think you were a bit too harsh on him? It's not like he told the world that you were the author. I doubt he even told the other host club members.**_ _It'll slip. _Especially_ from him. Tamaki's the biggest gossip in the whole school aside from Renge and if _she_ finds out about it._ I clenched my fist and grit my teeth at the though, before relaxing and mumbling to myself.

"Just relax. Act like Kyoya-kun. All smiles. No feeling. This is business. Nothing more."

Letting out a breath, I walked to where the other hosts were lined up and welcomed Shiro's little crush.

"**Welcome, Princess."**

Tamaki helped her to her seat and the two of the kids began playing, easing the built up tension I had. Slowly, I began to think back on my actions toward Tamaki and a gnawing in my stomach informed me of the huge amount of guilt I was wallowing in. As soon as the two kids finished their performance, I changed out of my clothes and opened the door to find Tamaki. Although, I found him a bit sooner than I expected when I ran into him outside the changing room.

"Ah, Tamaki! I-I…I'm-"

He bowed low at the waist, causing me to blush brightly in embarrassment as the other hosts gave us odd looks.

"I apologize, senpai, for the wrong that I have committed. I should not have invaded your privacy like that and, as such, I sincerely hope you will forgive me."

"U-Um, I don't understand why you're talking to me like that, b-but I'll forgive you. I shouldn't have s-snapped at you like that a-anyway. Anyone w-would be curious."

I looked off to the side as Tamaki lifted his head and smiled, pulling me into a hug. The other host club members seemed confused, but Kyoya smiled like he knew what was going on. Finally tugging Tamaki off me, I looked at him sternly.

"But you can't tell anyone that I'm the author. I go under a pen name for a reason. Okay?"

He nodded enthusiastically and I gave a small smile in return, which caused him to hug me again.

"So cute!~"

"No fair!"

"We want to hug…"

"…**Kohaku-senpai too!"**

The twins joined the hug for their own reasons and soon Honey became jealous and jumped in, dragging Mori in as well. Then Tamaki snatched Haruhi and Kyoya so we were all one giant hugging mess. Even Fu-kun seemed to be hugging my head with his stubby paws. With all the laughter surrounding me, I started to laugh too and returned the hug as I finally understood what it is I should be doing. _I won't forget about my family or my old life but, for now, I will try my best with this second chance that I've been given with my new family; the host club.__** Couldn't have said it better myself.**_


	6. Chapter 5

__**Sorry about this. It's a bit shorter than the other ones, but this episode wasn't really that long, now that I think about it...anyway, I hope you enjoy it and thanks to all those who reviewed ^^ i apologize for making you cry, if you did. like I said, that was a very emotional chapter for me to write and this one was a bit too; which you'll see soon ;) Oh, and I put a little something extra to apologize for making the chapter short! Tell me what you think!  
**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran or anyone associated with Ouran, aside from Kohaku, her family, and Fu-kun. I also do not own "Carry On" by Fun. I _do_ however own the poem mentioned.  
**

* * *

_The fragrance of the coconut aroma and the chirping of the small birds. The warm wind moves the gentle waves._ _**Geeze, what is this, one of those comic books you read?**_ I sweat dropped at Fu-kun. _Yes, actually.__** Oh, right.**_I rolled my eyes and looked over at Haruhi dressed in her yellow pull-over.

"Um, how'd we get here again?"

She looked at me and raised a brow. "You don't remember? It happened this morning."

I sighed and lowered my head. "I was _tired~_."

"You really have to get over that, you know." I nodded. "We were at school and then found out that we could've slept in-"

"Ah! Seriously?! Aw…I could've slept in."

Crocodile tears trailed down my face as Haruhi shook her head and continued.

"Yeah. Anyway, the twins grabbed us and brought us here."

"Right!" I slammed my fist into my palm and pointed at her. "That's how you ended up with the jacket! I remember that part since…" I paled. "They nearly got me too."

She patted my shoulder in understanding until I continued. "The butlers they put in there were _hot_. I nearly drooled."

I rubbed the corner of my mouth absent-mindedly as Haruhi face palmed.

"I thought you were talking about getting found out!"

"Hm? Oh, I don't really care. I'm only doing it for fun anyway."

"Are you serious?" She deadpanned.

"It's more fun this way."

I smirked and headed over towards Kyoya. He hadn't been very pleasant to be around lately and I was determined to find out why. If only I could get the courage to ask. _His glare scares me.__** No kidding. Well good luck kid!**_ Fu-kun scrambled off my shoulder and I turned as he dashed away.

"Wait! Where are you going?! Don't leave me standing here with the devil!"

"Who's a devil?"

I blanched and withered under Kyoya's glare. "N-Not you! No, no. I-I would never be t-t-t-talking about you, K-Kyoya-kun."

"Let's hope not. My police force has been bored these days and I would _hate_ to have to find someone for them to chase around."

"Y-Yeah."

I fidgeted in place as Kyoya went back to calmly sipping his coconut juice with a smirk on his face. I took a deep breath and looked him in the eyes.

"A-are you angry with me about something, Kyoya-kun?"

"No."

"You're lying."

My eyes widened at what I said and I covered my mouth to keep anything else from spilling out. Kyoya gave me a look and I slowly brought my hands down.

"W-Well, I mean, you've been threatening me more than usual a-and you don't like it when I sit by you anymore."

"Did you ever consider that I never liked you sitting by me to begin with?" He snapped.

I flinched at his harsh words and my chest ached a bit, but I stood my ground.

"You never said anything about it before. I just assumed-"

"You assumed incorrectly. I have not appreciated you interfering with what little time I have to myself and simply never mentioned it to you, because my response would have affected your performance in the club, thus lowering out profits."

I lowered my head, thinking deeply about what he said for a moment and what I already _knew_ about him. _Stubborn. Doesn't like admitting feelings. Hides behind his glasses and smile…but…he's not hiding them from me. He's expressing himself, in a way, but it doesn't feel as good as I thought it would. I thought I could see the other side of him that the book doesn't show; get him to change a bit from the manga, but it looks like I was wrong._

"You're right."

"Hm?"

I looked up at him and gave my own fake smile, though I fear it didn't turn out the way I wanted it to.

"I shouldn't have bothered you. I apologize, Kyoya-kun. I'll back off."

I bowed slightly and walked away towards the pool. Maybe having some fun will distract me. The twins were already in there and splashing about, so I went to join them and ended up in a water war with the two of them. When we finally exhausted ourselves laughing on the side of the pool, Hikaru turned towards me.

"Hey, Kohaku-kun. What's with the shirt?"

I looked down at the black rash guard I was wearing over my bandages and looked back up at him.

"I'm, uh, uncomfortable with my body?"

He and Kaoru looked at each other with identical smirks.

"Why did that sound like a question?"

"Are you hiding something from us, Kohaku-kun?"

"It's b-because…"

I took a hint from Fu-kun and ran for my life, the two chasing yelling at me.

"Come on, Kohaku-kun!"

"Take it off!"

"No way in hell!"

They laughed loudly until I spotted Tamaki showing Haruhi something in the forest. Dashing over to him, I hugged him around the waist with fake tears rolling down my face.

"Tamaki-kun! The t-twins are trying to force me to do b-bad things!"

"What?! You devils! Stop harassing by darling son!"

The twins' mouths dropped open and I stuck out my tongue with an evil smirk from behind Tamaki as he began lecturing them. I let him go and waltzed over to Haruhi with a big grin and she sweat dropped.

"You did that on purpose, huh?"

"Yup. It worked, didn't it?"

She sighed and looked around. "You've been hanging around Kyoya too much, and don't you think this is stupid? I still have laundry to do, but Tamaki-senpai won't let me leave. And what the heck does Kyoya's family do for a living anyway? Hospital management and now swimming pools?"

Kyoya was listening in and smiled from beneath his umbrella.

"If I had to think of something in common between them, wouldn't you say they are all 'recovery related'?"

We deadpanned just as the twins were coming back over so I decided to make a break for it. I was a good distance away when I spotted Mori sitting on the edge of the current pool. He hit the side of his head to get out any water in his ear and spotted me, so I waved.

"Hi, Mori-kun."

He waved back with a small smile. "Hi."

He and I have become pretty close recently and I had discovered that he's not silent; he's just a very good listener.

"So, how's your day been?"

"Good. Your's?"

I shook my head and sighed. "Mine, not so much. Kyoya's angry at me for some reason and he told me he doesn't like it when I bother him. I get how he needs his alone time and I told him I'll stay away from him, but it just doesn't feel right. You know?"

I turned to him and saw him nod.

"What should I do?"

"Give him a break."

"That's what I thought. I just wish I knew what I did to upset him, that way I could fix it, but he probably won't tell me."

"Wait. Then ask."

"That's a good idea. I'll try it out. Thanks for listening, Mori."

"Ah."

He ruffled my head in a friendly manner and I smiled up at him just as Honey bounded over with his bunny inner tube. None of us sensing the glare that was pointed in our direction.

"Hi, Ko-kun! Neh, Takeshi, can you carry me in the pool?"

Mori nodded and started swimming in the current pool before Honey jumped in and hopped on his back. Honey then waved over at the hosts and shouted at them.

"Hey guys, take a look at this! It doesn't go forward!~"

I chuckled at him, knowing just what he needed after his encounter with Shiro.

"You look very cute, Honey-kun."

"Ah! Thanks Ko-kun! Are you gonna come in too?"

"Maybe later. I'll just watch for now and I'll join you when Mori gets tired."

"Okay!"

I shook my head at the sight and listened to what chaos was happening behind me. The twins and Tamaki had just started their little water gun fight and I knew it wasn't long before Honey gets washed away. I was hoping I could do something about that when I noticed Mori starting to tire out and called out to him.

"You can take a break, Mori-kun. I'll watch over Honey-kun for you."

He got out and nodded to me as I jumped in and took his place. Honey didn't seem to mind and climbed on my back, humming to himself about not moving forward, while I swam. It had been a while since I had a chance to unwind and swimming seemed to be just what I needed. Of course, it didn't last very long and the moment I heard Tamaki's shout I prepared for the wave that was about to come.

I must say though, the anime and manga had _nothing_ on the power behind this wave. I couldn't get a word out to Honey before we were both swept away with the current. He managed to stay mostly on top of the water due to his inner tube, but I was sucked underneath it. For the most part, I'm a pretty good swimmer, but this current was too powerful and it was able to toss me all over the place.

I struggled to figure out where the surface was with all the tossing around and I was slowly running out of air. It only got worse, when the wave threw me particularly hard and there was a loud 'crack' as my head hit the wall. My vision started fading away at the edges and my strength was just about spent. The current slowed and I stared up at the little amount of light I could see and frowned. _Am I really destined to die a second time?_ _Pft, God must seriously have it in for me._ Just as I let out my last bit of breath, something blocked the light and started swimming towards me as my eyes slide closed.

* * *

Tamaki and the others scrambled about trying to find a way to follow the current pool that had swept Honey and Kohaku away, but only ended up going to all the wrong places.

"A crocodile?!"

"Run away!"

"Ah!"

After a moment, they were completely and utterly exhausted and were no where close to finding their two missing club members. Kyoya though, appeared calm as can be.

"The crocodile pasture is extremely dangerous. The piranha pond should be fixed again, and there is a problem with the position of the lever. Thanks to you I collected useful data. You see, the facilities were still in an experimental stage."

The group grew depressed, knowing that they were all used by Kyoya as test subjects but even more so, because they could find Honey and Kohaku and they had no idea where they were.

"Where on earth is this?"

"I hear some suspicious animal sound…"

Walking up to a map of the pool resort, Tamaki struck a pose.

"Is everyone all set and ready?"

"**Yes, sir!"**

Kyoya pointed at various areas on the map and began explaining.

"This is the map showing the area in the garden. Our current location should be here and there are two possible places where our senpai's could be located. In terms of distance, it's about 800m."

Haruhi looked at the map and sweat dropped at all the areas with question marks.

"There are a lot of elements that we don't know about."

"Those zones are still not open yet." Kyoya replied.

Tamaki ignored them and continued with his speech. "Get it?! In every way, this is survival! We have to make our way through the jungle and save Honey-senpai and Kohaku-senpai! To increase our efficiency, we'll divide into two teams. Mori-senpai's team and Team King! The ones who have the courage and wish to follow me onwards, please hold onto my-"

He turned towards the hosts only to find them already heading out with Kyoya as the leader, since he seemed to know where he was going. They all ended up walking together and Haruhi looked over at Mori with concern. He seemed normal enough but, when he slipped on a banana peel, everyone grew a bit more concerned. _Huh. I wonder where Fu-kun is too. _Haruhi looked up then as the sky darkened and Mori sniffed the air, unnoticed. Then Kyoya looked down at his watch with a sigh.

"Squall time, huh?"

They quickly ran to a hut for shelter and Haruhi looked over at Mori as he stared out into the pouring rain.

"Mori-senpai, you seem to be very close to Honey-senpai. Are you two childhood friends?"

The twins shook their heads.

"No, they're…

"…cousins."

"Eh? You're related?"

Kyoya came up then and explained further, with the twins interjecting here and there.

"The Morinozuka family has served the Haninozuka family for generations."

"But they've become relatives ever since a marriage two generations ago. So the servant-relationship between the two families should have dissolved already."

"Even so, Mori-senpai always follows and serves Honey-senpai."

Tamaki smiled despite the somewhat depressing atmosphere.

"His blood must be agitated right now. The ancient blood of a loyal servant to his lord inside of Mori-senpai."

The twins started crying tears into handkerchiefs. **"Such a beautiful story!"**

Haruhi deadpanned. "That's a beautiful story?"

She sighed and looked over at Mori. She didn't really understand the whole blood thing, but she knew he really cared for Honey-senpai and she also knew that him and Kohaku were pretty good friends as well. She walked over to him and touched his arm.

"It'll be alright, Mori-senpai. Honey-senpai and Kohaku-kun are safe. They're both stronger than they look and if they get hungry, there are a lot of bananas around."

Mori gave a small smile and put his hand on her head.

"Ah."

Tamaki started freaking out, not knowing that he was jealous of Mori's show of affection, and the twins began teasing him about it. Haruhi, on the other hand, headed over to Kyoya and gave him a look.

"Is there something wrong?"

She shook her head. "No. I just wanted to let you know that you're a jerk."

He raised a brow, not quite sure what Haruhi's point was with this conversation. She gave him a glare and frowned. _He doesn't even know what he's doing to Kohaku._

"You know Kohaku-kun is only trying to be nice to you. I don't know what you did, but whatever you said to him really has him upset. He can't even sleep at night and he plays depressing music all the time. I know, because I can hear it through my wall. So, you better hurry up and make up with him, senpai."

She walked away, leaving Kyoya a bit stumped. He hadn't expected a lecture from Haruhi about his treatment of Kohaku and he sighed to himself for getting into this situation with Kohaku in the first place. He heard the ringing of his phone and answered it.

"Yeah, it's me…Yeah. We have a bit of trouble…"

* * *

I felt something pushing down on my chest a few times and I heard quiet mumbling.

"Come on, Ko-chan…If you're gone who will eat cake with me?…Who will talk to Takeshi?…"

_**Don't forget about me either. You're not dead yet, kid. **_I suddenly felt a huge pressure fall off my chest and I rolled to the side coughing and heaving. My arms shook with the effort to rid my lungs of the water that had made it's way in, but soon I had finally gotten my breath back. Rolling back over, I breathed heavily and stared up at the jungle canopy. _I nearly drowned. Not a great way to die, but better than the cement bag I suppose._ I smiled a bit and let out a deep breath just as I noticed a bright head of blonde hovering over me, tears dripping down his face. I reached up and brushed a tear away and that's all he needed before Honey was sobbing all over me.

"K-Ko-chan! I was s-s-so scared! You weren't breathing a-and I tried CPR b-b-but-"

"Shh. It's okay, Honey-kun." I calmly brushed my hand through his hair. "I'm fine, see? I just have a bit of a headache is all."

He sat up and looked at me with teary eyes. "R-Really?"

I nodded and winced, putting my hand to the back of my head and slowly sat up. I then, gave him a knowing look.

"So, Honey-kun, how long have you known I was a girl?"

He chuckled, wiping some tears from his eyes.

"When you were all nice to me in the beginning."

I frowned and tapped my chin. "I knew my motherly instincts would give me away. So who else knows? And don't tell me you don't know. Just because you act like a kid doesn't mean there's not some evil, conniving eighteen year old mind hiding up in there."

He grew serious, but a good, thinking kind of serious. Not the deadly, I'm-going-to-kill-you serious.

"Hm. I know Takeshi knows and I'm guessing you told Haruhi, but I think the others are clueless."

I nodded. "That's what I thought. They aren't really good observers. Although, I thought Kyoya would be the first to figure it out, but he hasn't shown any signs of it; seeing how he hasn't tried to blackmail me yet. He should have figured it out by now though, being a doctor's son in all…Then again, I've had them mistaken me for a guy too…"

I shrugged and stood up, holding my head for a second, when I noticed Fu-kun on the ground.

"Fu-kun! You followed us all the way here? You smart little pest!"

I cuddled him to my face, which he nuzzled as Honey laughed.

"You really like Fu-kun, huh Ko-chan?"

"Yup. He's like you and Usa-chan. I wouldn't go anywhere without my best friend."

I smiled brightly and Honey smiled back and we headed off through the jungle to find our way back to our friends. He tugged on my shirt and I gave him a confused glance, adjusting Fu-kun onto my shoulder.

"You really fooled a doctor?"

I chuckled. "Oh yeah. School physicals. They probably just had so many people in for physicals that they weren't really paying attention. I had a good laugh though when I noticed they checked all the wrong boxes."

"That's silly!" He laughed. "You're obviously a girl!"

I grew serious suddenly. "Yeah…"

"Ko-chan?"

I shook my head in apology. "Ah, sorry. It's just…I guess even _I've_ stopped seeing myself as a girl sometimes. I mean, I've always been treated as one of the guys and-It's not like I don't like it!" I exclaimed at the look he gave me. "I love being treated like I'm different from normal girls. It's great being able to wrestle around and be teased by the guys without them thinking that they're going to hurt me _just because _I'm a girl. I've just always wished that there would be someone out there who wouldn't give a crud that I look like a guy, or act like a guy."

"I don't care, Ko-chan! I like you the way you are and I'm sure the others do too!"

I gave a painful smile and ruffled his hair.

"I'm sure you do. You just have to remember, I've always been this way so people have always treated me this way. Even when I was younger, my relatives would call me a 'cute little girl' and I'd always get mad and say, 'I'm not a girl! I'm a boy!'. Now that I've gotten older though, I've realized that I can't keep living my life like this. I can't keep trying to hide my femininity behind this-" I tugged my rash guard with a sad face. "-_masquerade._ It's so hard to just drop it, that's all.

I tried once, because my friends _dared_ me to be a girl for Halloween. Heh, I felt like crap when they said that, but I never showed it. I even went and did it; wearing a tighter shirt than what I was used to and getting my mom to put make-up on me. I hated every second of it, but I was willing to bear through it for my friends. Then, when I showed up to school…they took one look at me and said I hardly did anything. I wanted to cry, so _so_ bad Honey. You have no idea."

I rubbed the corner of my eye, almost as if I was back in high school going through that torture all over again. _And in a way, I am._

"Sorry, Honey. I'm blabbing my life story to you."

"No. It's okay, Ko-chan. Keep going."

"Right…Well, I had one really good friend who actually cared, but I was already desperately trying to get the make-up off at that point. It just wasn't worth the humiliation any more. Since then, I got my hair cut really short and just stayed away from everything even _remotely_ girly. I spiked my hair up and stuck to baggy clothes for a while; almost constantly wearing a jacket to cover up what feminine features I did have. Then, we started talking one day about boyfriends and girlfriends. I asked what kind of guy they could see me with and the guy I had a crush on at the time laughed and said, 'You? I couldn't even see you with a guy. I look at you and all I can think of you getting with is a girl.' My other friends agreed and I laughed with them and started joking around about it, but…that really hurt.

After that, I started to think that maybe I shouldn't even be trying anymore. So I did. I stopped looking at anybody as more than a friend and actually helped my own friends get into relationships with each other while I stayed alone. I was okay at first. I didn't mind being the only single one in the group and I helped my friends with their problems and stuff, but I noticed that I couldn't sleep well anymore. I had dreams about finding my ideal guy and then they ended up being my old crush or they were just so perfect that I knew they didn't exist.

I started crying myself to sleep, just from the loneliness and wanting to be elsewhere. I started becoming more introverted and stuck my head in books, manga, anime. _Anything_ that could get me away from the world I was living in. I guess I kind of sunk into a depression. I never showed it on the outside and nobody ever knew but myself, so I started putting it into writing. You know, poems, short stories, novels, things like that. I even showed a few of them to my friends. It was funny how they loved them so much and never knew that they were all about me and how I was feeling. They were pretty depressing too. Let me see if I can remember one…Ah! Got it…

_Surrounded by dark, in a room full of sorrow_

_With no one around to save the saddened soul._

_Choking on the guilt that's too hard to swallow,_

_While waiting for the torment to take its toll._

_Enveloped by rays in the playful sun,_

_Running through the grass without a care._

_With friends who love to laugh, play, and have fun._

_Never minding the one with a lonely stare._

_Yet you stared within the murky room_

_And came to see what could possibly be_

_A monster hidden under the gloom._

_Then you found out that it was only me._

_Saved by the sun, I no longer had to hide,_

_Because the old me had forever died._"

"T-That's really good, Ko-chan. Your friends are all meanies."

I actually chuckled at that one, picking Honey up and putting him on my shoulders as I walked under a tree. It had started to pour and I just didn't want either of us to get soaked.

"They were actually really good friends for the most part, Honey-kun. Besides, how were they supposed to know that what they said hurt me when I never showed them?"

"Mm, do you like them better than us, Ko-chan?"

I shook my head, ignoring the headache that I still had from banging my head against the poolside.

"Nah. I like you all equally. I'm not able to see those friends anymore anyway, but I'm sure they'd be happy I met such a crazy group of friends here, right?"

"Uh-huh!"

The rain soon let up and we started walking again, with Honey giving me directions. I had guessed from the anime that Mori and him had some sort of connection, but now I knew. That, and I was slowly beginning to get used to the fact that the host club are actual _people_ now and not just characters. _One of the many things I have to get used to since I'm living here now._

"Hey, Honey-kun?"

"Hm?"

"Do you mind if I sing something? I'm bored."

He looked down at me and nodded with a smile. I smiled back and thought of a good acoustic song. I came across the perfect one and started singing.

"_Well I woke up to the sound of silence_

_the cars were cutting like knives in a fist fight_

_and I found you with a bottle of wine_

_your head in the curtains_

_and heart like the Fourth of July_

_You swore and said_

_"We are not_

_We are not shining stars"_

_This I know_

_I never said we are_

_Though I've never been through hell like that_

_I've closed enough windows_

_to know you can never look back_

_If you're lost and alone_

_Or you're sinking like a stone_

_Carry on~_

_May your past be the sound_

_Of your feet upon the ground_

_Carry on~_

_Carry on, carry on"_

I started smiling and marching with Honey humming along on my shoulders with Fu-kun hanging onto my head.

"_So I met up with some friends_

_at the edge of the night_

_At a bar off 75_

_And we talked and talked_

_about how our parents will die_

_All our neighbors and wives_

_But I like to think_

_I can cheat it all_

_To make up for the times I've been cheated on_

_And it's nice to know_

_When I was left for dead_

_I was found and now I don't roam these streets_

_I am not the ghost you are to me_

_If you're lost and alone_

_Or you're sinking like a stone_

_Carry on~_

_May your past be the sound_

_Of your feet upon the ground_

_Carry on~_

_Whoa_

_My head is on fire_

_But my legs are fine_

_After all they are mine_

_Lay your clothes down on the floor_

_Close the door_

_Hold the phone_

_Show me how_

_No one's ever gonna stop us now"_

I hummed the guitar solo and continued.

"_Cause we are_

_We are shining stars_

_We are invincible_

_We are who we are_

_On our darkest day_

_When we're miles away_

_Sun will come_

_We will find our way home_

_If you're lost and alone_

_Or you're sinking like a stone_

_Carry on~_

_May your past be the sound_

_Of your feet upon the ground_

_Carry on~_

_Carry on, carry on"_

"I like that song, Ko-chan."

I nodded. "Me too. It's a very good pick-me-up after I told such a depressing story, don't you think?"

"Mm-hm. Neh, Ko-chan, I think I hear something."

I grew quiet and stopped walking for a moment when I heard what sounded like voices a little further off. I looked up at Honey and he nodded, so I started hurrying towards the voices, knowing that it has to be Mori and Haruhi along with Kyoya's police force. Honey grabbed a vine when we were right by the clearing and passed me one as well, making me grin like the Cheshire cat. _Oh!~ I've always wanted to do this, just once. __**Well don't just stand there, Tarzan!**_

The two of us swung on the vines into the circle of people, telling Haruhi and Mori to watch out. Honey kicked one guy in the face while I landed on another and I smirked when one of the enemies reached for me. I spun around and heel-kicked the man in the ribs and brought my other foot around to kick him hard in the face.

Adrenaline pumped through me and I was glad that all stress relief I got at the boxing gym was coming in handy. I knocked out a few more, getting in a few cheap shots here and there when they were a bit too much for me, and soon Honey and I were standing around a pile of useless men. Honey dusted off his hands and I put my own hands behind my head with a slight upwards twitch of my lips.

"Heh. You dare to be so noisy when you can't even fight properly! If you mess with my friends, you're a goner!"

I gave a short chuckled and patted Honey on the head.

"You tell 'em."

Haruhi hadn't moved and I assumed that she was in a bit of shock at what Honey and I had done when the rest of the group ran out from the vegetation, Tamaki in the lead.

"Haruhi! Are you alright?!"

"Huh? Honey-senpai? Kohaku-senpai?"

The twins followed after him and began poking at the downed police force with sticks. It was fun to watch.

"I don't know what happened, but it seems like everything's fine."

"Yeah. Did Honey-senpai beat them all?"

I squatted down next to the guy they were poking and spoke.

"Nope. This one's mine."

I poked him in the cheek with my finger as the twins just sat there with shocked looks on their faces.

"No way!"

"How?!"

I cocked my head to the side as Haruhi came over as well.

"Didn't I already tell you? I go to a boxing gym when I'm stressed out. That, and I've done quite a few martial arts. I've just never got around to mastering them. Didn't have the cash."

I held my hands up in a shrugging motion as they looked at each other before bombarding me with questions. I backed up a bit, the sheer loudness of them making my headache worse and held up one hand while the other cradled my head.

"Wait! Wait! One at a time! And you should answer Haruhi's question first!"

They turned towards her and she flinched and glared at me, not exactly happy that I had sent them after her. She sighed though, and asked anyway.

"How did Honey-senpai beat all of these guys?"

"You didn't know?"

"**Haninozuka is renowned for martial arts"**

"During his second year in high school, Honey-senpai participated in the National Championship with judo and barehanded fights."

"**Now answer our questions, Kohaku-kun!"**

It was my turn to sigh, but I nodded as they started going one at a time; noticing Kyoya behind them listening in with his laptop in hand. _I'm surprised he brought the thing, being surrounded by water and all._

"What do you want to know?"

"How many martial arts have you done?"

I hummed in thought and tapped my chin. "Let's see. I've taken two self-defense classes, karate, aikido, and kick-boxing. So, four, but I've always been interested in learning more."

"Okay then." Kaoru thought about his question for a moment before snapping his fingers. "How good are you at them? What's your belt level?"

"Yeah…not very good actually. The one self-defense and karate class I took when I was maybe ten or so, but I got up to a yellow belt before we couldn't afford it anymore. The aikido class I took maybe a year ago and I could have been a 5th kyu, but I didn't have a chance to take the test before I dropped that one too. Then the other self-defense class was combined with the kick-boxing class and I was in that for a good couple of months, but I was really good at it."

"**So…you suck."**

Haruhi glared at their bluntness, but I nodded.

"Pretty much. I mostly get away with mixing what I remember and making things up as I go along, with a few tricks and cheap shots here and there. That, and most people don't expect a fight coming from someone like me."

I smiled innocently and the twins sweat dropped probably worrying about their safety and poor Haruhi stared at the ground in defeat. Honey then came over towards us with Mori and hugged me around the neck.

"You did good, Ko-chan! I didn't know you could fight!"

I chuckled. "I can get by. I'd like to learn more actually, but I can't afford it so I stick to the boxing gym to keep up my strength."

He looked towards Mori. "Neh, Takeshi, maybe we could teach Ko-chan kendo and judo!"

I quickly looked over at them. "Really?! I-I mean, I can't pay you or anything, but I-I've always wanted to learn a bunch of different martial arts and they didn't have kendo schools in the area I used to live, s-so I never got the chance."

Honey smiled at me. "Uh-huh! I don't mind and you don't have to pay us, Ko-chan. It's what friends do, right?"

I spun around and hugged him with a huge smile on my face, before setting him down and hugging Mori too.

"Thank you _so_ much, Mori-kun, Honey-kun."

I felt his heavy hand pat my head as his voice echoed through his abs.

"Ah."

I suddenly flushed, fully aware now that he wasn't wearing a shirt and that he had _great_ abs. I suddenly let go and looked up at him while rubbing the back of my neck nervously.

"Sorry."

He shook his head and then there were a pair of arms across my shoulders, weighing me down. A finger poked each of my cheeks in unison and I could feel the evil, devilish vibes coming from the two twins.

"Looks like Kohaku-kun…"

"…has a crush~"

"I-I-I do not!"

My face flushed brighter and the twins laughed.

"Look, Kaoru! He's like a tomato!"

"Yeah! Relax, Kohaku-kun. We're only teasing~"

The way he said that had me scared and when I looked at Mori, I was even more concerned because of the look he was giving me. I couldn't quite explain it, not only because he wasn't a very emotional person, but because I've never seen that emotion directed at me. _That emotion. I've seen it before but…I-I can't recognize it._ He was then forced to turn away when Honey bounded over for a piggy ride to the exit. Seems he had just a little bit too much fun for the day.

The twins gave me a look when I finally tuned back in to the world, but they then dragged me over to Tamaki and Haruhi.

"**How about we go to the ocean next?"**

"Stupid, Haruhi isn't interested in those kinds of-"

Haruhi interrupted him. "Ocean? If it's the ocean, I'd like to see it."

"Haruhi?! B-But you said-"

"It's just not interesting if it's someplace like this."

Tamaki then noticed me and dashed over, begging on his hands and knees.

"Kohaku-senpai! Y-You have to help me!"

I raised a brow. "Why? I think it would be nice to go to the beach."

His mouth dropped open and he gave me the most upsetting kicked puppy eyes I've ever seen. _**Wow. Even I would give in to that.**_ Checking to see if the twins were out of ear shot, I bent down low next to him and whispered in his ear.

"Just think, you could see Haruhi in a swimsuit. You know, and maybe take a walk on the beach to see the sunset _without_ the twins getting in the way. Isn't that what every father wants to do with his daughter?"

I pulled back, letting that sink in when he suddenly shot up like a rocket with his finger poised in the air.

"You are right, Kohaku-senpai! I will start making the plans at once!" He stood there proudly as I clapped with a bored expression.

"That's great, but shouldn't you go save Haruhi from the twins first?"

His eyes widened in shock before he hurried off. "Haruhi! Stay away from those devils!"

I chuckled from the ground and went to get up when I noticed a hand reaching down to me. I looked up to see Kyoya, the glare on his glasses covering his expression. I took his hand, cautiously and allowed myself to be helped up. _Something's wrong here. He's contradicting himself. He told me he didn't want to be near me but now he's _helping_ me? The Kyoya I know doesn't help people unless there's profit involved. __**That because the Kyoya you know was a character, remember?**__ Right. He's not just a character anymore. I even think there was one episode where he did help someone out of generosity…at the mall, I think. That, and he has his own personality away from the manga._ I took a breath and nodded at him.

"Thanks, Kyoya-kun."

He nodded in return and started to walk away, when I called out to him.

"Ah, wait!" He turned around and I pointed ta my head. "C-Could you, um, look at this for me? I hit the side of the pool earlier and H-Honey said I almost drowned so…"

His eyes widened when I said that I almost drowned, something barely noticeable behind his glasses. He came back over and grabbed my arm a bit tight, but I ignored it as he forced me to sit down on one of the beach chairs near the exit. He reached into the pocket on his Hawaiian shirt and pulled out that same flashlight that he used on me before. I could tell, don't ask me how, but I could.

He shined it in my eyes and I squinted with a frown, trying to push his hand away.

"Keep still."

"_Sorry_, but your stupid light hurts my head."

He sighed, exasperated and pointed the light away from my eyes.

"_Fine_. Give me your wrist."

I handed him my wrist as he took my pulse, staying quiet since I know he didn't want to deal with me. He finished with a sigh and went to push his glasses up. I bit the edge of my lip and struggled to keep from stopping him like I did last time. He paused, just before he pushed up his glasses and looked up at me, an evil smirk on his face. _Oh, you sadist._ He got up, not pushing up his glasses I noticed, and composed himself.

"You're fine. A mild concussion, so you'll be sensitive to light and sound for a little while. Take some over-the-counter pain medication for the headache and you'll be fine."

I gave him a look. "You just contradicted yourself."

"What?"

I rolled my eyes. "You said I was fine and then said that if I take the pain medication I'll be fine, indicating that I'm _not_ fine. Also, I'm okay with leaving you alone like you wanted, but could you at least make a little sense instead of switching around all the time? You're a real jerk when you tell me to leave you alone and then come over and help me like nothing's wrong."

I cradled my head in my hands again, the headache pounding behind my eyes from getting angry with Kyoya.

"I suppose I apologize for being…_contradicting_, as you put it, and Haruhi has also given me a lecture as to being a _jerk_ towards you, but I will not apologize for that."

I sighed and shook my head. "I never expected you to. _I_, however, apologize for what I said and did before. I shouldn't have tried to change you and it wasn't my place, so I'm sorry."

I got up and bowed to him, turning to leave. Fu-kun was looking between the two of us and I could feel how nervous he was, until I was pulled back suddenly. I somehow managed to keep my balance and went to ask Kyoya what his problem was when I saw him glare at me. I tried to glare back, but I knew it wasn't as strong as I hoped.

"W-What?" _The stuttering doesn't help either._

"You don't even know what you're apologizing for."

I blinked, a bit surprised and confused. "W-Well, for stopping you from pushing up your glass-"

"That's not why I am…_upset_ with you."

I mentally chuckled at the fact that he still couldn't come to terms with his emotions, but gulped at the scalding look he was giving me.

"I am not happy with you because I am not the only one hiding my emotions behind something else."

Everything finally clicked in place with what I had done. _Kyoya had called me a hypocrite because I…_

"I'm doing the same thing…"

"Quite. I suggest you start changing yourself before you try to change others, Kohaku-senpai."

"R-Right."

I lowered my head as he released me and stood there for a second as his voice drifted back to me.

"I will give you a ride, if you need one-" My eyes widened as I face him and he turned back around and began walking again. "-but I am not willing to wait around for you, senpai."

I nodded hurriedly and smiled a little as I followed him to his limo, somewhat happy that he wasn't nearly as angry with me as he was before. _Even the devil has a soul somewhere._

* * *

**Omake: Fu-kun's Daily Life**

* * *

The camera zooms in on Fu-kun, Kohaku's long time companion, sitting in a soft red-velvet chair as he quietly sipped from a small tea cup. The ferret doesn't seem to care about the camera for a moment until a voice calls out to him in a hushed whisper.

"F-Fu-kun. You're on."

The ferret lifts his head and looks over at the camera. _**Oh. It seems we are…Ahem, well, for those of you who don't know, I am the amazing Fu-kun! The smart and cunning ferret who keeps Kohaku in line.**_ Kohaku walks past the room for a second, before backing up and nearly dropping her own tea cup.

"Fu-kun? W-Who are these people and where did that chair come from?" Her expression hardened. "You better not have been buying crap off the internet with my money again."

Fu-kun looked over at Kohaku with an innocent expression._** I don't know what you're talking about, Ko-kun. I think you've just had too little sleep. You're hallucinating.**_ Kohaku looked around and her hard expression turned a bit dazed as she rubbed the bridge of her nose with a sigh.

"I may be hallucinating, but hallucination or not, I better not see this crap in the morning."

She walked away mumbling incoherent things as Fu-kun cleared his throat and turned back towards the camera._** Ahem, anyway, I was sure you many people out there reading this would want to know what I do during my daily routine when not accompanying by friend. So I have prepared this quick slide show for you're entertainment!**_

A white screen appeared out of nowhere and a projector flashed images on the screen, starting with one of Fu-kun sleeping. The next image showed him taking a bath, a little cloth covering his forehead as though he was at an onsen. _**I'm adorable, aren't I? This next pick shows what I enjoy doing in my spare time.**_ He paused as he heard chuckles and turned to look at the screen to find a picture of him wearing a mini coconut bra and grass skirt with the twins in the background holding back laughter as they held him up for the camera.

The screen suddenly turned blank as Fu-kun coughed in embarrassment, a small amount of pink lacing his fur-covered cheeks. _**R-Right…How did that get in there?…Um, well, as you can see my life is full of excitement with or without Kohaku and the host club. Next time we'll cover-**_

"Fu-kun! You little rat!" She appeared in the doorway and pointed a shaking finger at the ferret. "That damn chair is not a hallucination! It cost me $1,200!"

Turning back towards the camera, Fu-kun took a calm sip of his tea. _**And with that, I bid you…adieu!**_ The ferret jumped out of the chair as Kohaku launched herself at him, the small tea cup clonking off her head. She scowled and yelled at him as she ran around the apartment.

"Don't ignore me you pest! Get back here!"

_Meanwhile, next door…_

Haruhi and her father stared at the wall that connected them to Kohaku's room, listening to the chaos seemed to be happening on the other side.

"_How are you supposed to pay me back?! You're a ferret! You can't work!"_

Haruhi sweat dropped at what she just heard and went back to her dinner, as her father already had. _She's having an argument with a ferret._ _I seriously wonder what goes on in her head sometimes._ She sighed and put some more food in her mouth, silently worrying for Kohaku's sanity.


	7. Chapter 6

**I was really happy to do this chapter since it's one of my favorites, so i hope you enjoy this chapter. especially since we're finally getting around to what Kohaku feels about the hosts. ^^**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran or anything Ouran related, nor do I own "Rain" by Breaking Benjamin or "Crying Rain" by Girugamesh. I do own Kohaku and Fu-kun.  
**

* * *

"The ocean?"

"**Yeah, the ocean~"**

I rolled my eyes at the twins speaking with Haruhi while I wiggled a foxtail for Fu-kun to play with. I was bored, really, but it seems things were about to get pretty interesting since the beach scene was coming up.

"As of today, all final exams are over! The only thing left to do is wait for summer vacation!"

I perked up suddenly, at the mention of final exams. _I wonder what Haruhi got…_ So I scooped up Fu-kun and headed over, interrupting the twins as I snatched Haruhi's papers from her.

"Kohaku-kun, what are you doing?"

"What did you get on your final exams?"

"Huh? I got first. I have to, to keep my scholarship."

I nodded as the twins slung their arms over my shoulders and Fu-kun rolled around on Haruhi's books, despite her glaring at him.

"What did…"

"…you get…"

"…**Kohaku-senpai?"**

I opened my mouth to answer them, but Honey came over with a big grin on his face.

"He got first!"

The twins looked shocked. "Really?!"

"He beat you, Honey-senpai?!"

"Mhmm! Ko-kun's really smart! Right Takeshi?"

"Ah."

Mori ruffled my hair and I flushed a bit in embarrassment. "I-I'm not that smart."

"I disagree."

Kyoya, of all people, spoke up from his table. "You got full marks on all of them. As well as full marks in all of your classes. You seem to be quite intelligent."

"**No way! Full marks in everything?!"**

I sighed and dropped my head onto the table, which Fu-kun took advantage of and peeked at everyone through my hair. Then, I had an idea. _Though Haruhi will hate me for it._

"So what were you two saying about the ocean?"

The twins suddenly stopped their barrage of questions and snatched Haruhi's papers again. She turned toward me and gave me a glare.

"Thanks a lot, Kohaku-kun."

"No problem." I muttered from the table.

"That's right, Haruhi! Would you prefer the Caribbean or Fiji?"

"I don't have money for that."

"I'll lend you some. Unlimited term with interest."

I lifted up my head and sweat dropped at Kyoya's response, nearly tossing Fu-kun down my back.

"Why unlimited? Wouldn't it be better to do a fixed term with interest? You'd definitely profit more if Haruhi decided to end the contract early."

He blinked at me and Haruhi face palmed.

"Are you trying to get me into more debt?"

I pretended to think about it for a moment before I nodded. "Yeah. The more debt you have the longer you stay in the host club, right? I wouldn't want you to leave before me."

I smiled innocently and she sighed, giving up just as Tamaki blew up at the twins.

"Are you sexually harassing my daughter bastards?! Mommy! Hikaru and Kaoru are saying nasty things about their little sister!"

"Is it my fate to be saddled with three kids at only seventeen?"

"Four kids!" I called out. "I'm their brother apparently."

He sighed and began shutting down his laptop. "Right…"

"**So you're not going to the ocean?" **The twins asked Tamaki.

"Who said I'm not going?"

They smirked devilishly. **"It's settled then."**

"I have no objections." Kyoya responded followed by Honey.

"Can I take Usa-chan too?"

I personally, shrugged. "I don't really care. I'll need a ride though."

Haruhi looked shocked. "W-Wait a minute, really?!"

I laughed and slung my arm across Haruhi's shoulders.

"Don't worry! It'll be fun!"

She bowed her head dejectedly and soon we were in two separate limos. _**Why two again? It's not like you guys couldn't have all fit in one.**_ I picked up Fu-kun and held him in front of me.

"Are you kidding me?" I spun him around and held him out towards the leather interior of the limo we were in. "Look how amazingly quiet it is in here without the others!"

Kyoya sighed next to me and set down the book he was reading.

"It would be appreciated if you would keep your voice down, Kohaku-senpai. I only agreed to take you because you _are_ calmer than the others and-"

"And you'd hate to let the rest know where I live, when you can keep it a secret and enjoy the shocked looks they give you when they find out you knew…Right?"

He seemed a bit surprised, but quickly composed himself and returned to his book.

"Correct. It seems you're even more intelligent that you let on."

I shook my head with a small smile. "Not really. It's more like I…have more years of experience."

_**Be careful of what you say, kid. **__I know. I know._

"Kohaku-senpai."

"Hm?" I turned my head around to find him peeking in from outside the limo.

"We're here."

I flushed slightly in embarrassment and climbed out of the car, pausing to turn back towards him.

"Are you, um, coming in? Or are you going to wait?"

He raised a brow with an evil smirk. "Are you sure you want to do that? Inviting me in? I may find out more about you thank you think."

_Oh? A challenge. I like challenges._ I smirked and turned around, with a wave over my shoulder. "Come in if you want. I've got nothing to hide."

"We'll see about that."

After quickly changing into a pair of swim trunks and putting a rash guard over my bandages in the bedroom, I headed towards the kitchen. Peeking into the living room where I left Kyoya, I smirked as he scanned the papers littered around with a frown.

"Not finding what you were looking for?"

He turned towards me, frustration clear on his face even as he pushed up his glasses.

"Not quite. Are you finished?"

"Just about." I picked up Fu-kun from the floor and smiled, holding him up to show Kyoya. "Isn't he just ridiculous?"

Fu-kun was wearing his own little swim trunks and had a small pair of sunglasses on his face. Kyoya looked at him and did something…unexpected.

"Pft."

He covered his mouth with his fist, a smile just barely evident on the corner of his lips. _**Well, I'll be… **__I think I broke him…_

"I suppose 'ridiculous' is an accurate description."

"R-Right…"

I slowly set Fu-kun down and backed up into the kitchen, keeping my eyes on Kyoya until I closed the sliding door quickly. Turning away from the door, I squatted down on the ground and grabbed at my hair. _What just happened?! He laughed! Actually _laughed_! Well, not full on, gut busting laughter, but still! …Oh man, this isn't good._ I thought as my heart thumped erratically in my chest.

* * *

In the other room, Kyoya was having the same dilemma. He'd seen how shocked Kohaku was when she shut herself in the kitchen, for whatever reason, and he was positive he'd lost control for just a second. _But it was enough._ He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as he sat down on a, rather ornate, red velvet chair.

Fu-kun clambered up on the arm and Kyoya glanced at him as he lowered his hand. _What was it that I found so amusing? It's just a ferret in miniature clothes.__** Perhaps, it wasn't me that you found amusing, but Kohaku.**_ Kyoya's eyes widened as he locked eyes with the snow colored rodent, who tilted its head with what looked like a smirk on its face. _**Emotions are complicated things, but that doesn't mean you should ignore them.**_

The ferret jumped off the arm of the chair and hurried towards the sliding door of the kitchen, leaving Kyoya sitting in shock. _Was that…No. Impossible. I've been around the hosts so much I'm imagining voices now._ He sighed again and leaned back in the chair as the sliding door to the kitchen opened and Kohaku came out like nothing was wrong.

"You like the chair?"

"Surprisingly, yes. Although, I question how you could afford it with this apartment."

Kohaku picked up Fu-kun by his scruff and pointed at him.

"Fu-kun has a habit of purchasing things online when I leave my laptop out. Screws up my whole entire financial system."

Kohaku glared at the ferret but placed him on her shoulder.

"We better hurry. Haru-chan just texted me in a plea for help. The twins are trying to get her in a two-piece and I believe that we're hosting today."

"How did you know that?"

She smirked back at him over her shoulder. "I have my sources."

* * *

"Beautiful…It's like a dream, seeing the ocean together like this alone with Tamaki."

"It's not a dream…but I pray that you can see me in your dreams tonight." Tamaki replied huskily.

"Tamaki-sama.~"

I spotted Haruhi with a deadpan expression, and patted her on the shoulder in comfort.

"It's okay, Haruhi-kun. It could be worse."

She glared at me. "Oh yeah? How."

I opened my mouth to answer when something big and white hit me in the face. The volleyball bounced away while the twins laughed out apologies. As I lie down on the sand, a shadow blocked my view of the sky. It was Haruhi.

"You okay?"

I nodded as she helped me sit back up, rubbing my face to rid it of the burning sensation.

"And, Kohaku-kun."

"Yeah?"

"You were right. It could be worse."

I frowned as she laughed at me, tossing a handful of sand at her. We laughed together for a moment when a group of swimsuit clad ladies came over.

"Haruhi-kun, Kohaku-kun, you're not going to swim?"

"Ah, I like watching more." Haruhi spoke.

"Then do you want to watch together?"

"Why? Go take a dip. You're all wearing cute swimsuits, too!"

They blushed and I mentally chuckled. _Heh, she probably doesn't even know how she looks in the eyes of these girls._

"W-What about you, Kohaku-kun?"

I blinked at them for a second, before standing up and dusting myself off with a slight smile. I'm still a bit uncomfortable with the guests, but Kyoya says it's good for business so my nervousness towards them goes unnoticed.

"S-Sure. I-I'll join you ladies. Haruhi-kun, can you watch Fu-kun for me?"

I pointed at Fu-kun as he sunbathed, Haruhi giving him a funny look.

"Uh, sure. Go have fun. You too, ladies!"

She waved and we headed off, playing in the water for a while before the girls grew weary and decided to head back up on the sand. I, on the other hand, wasn't very tired at all and decided that now would be a good time to think over what I should do with the plot today; or if I should do anything at all.

I sighed and stretched out on my back in the calm water. _So, after the whole game that the twins come up with, she'll attack the drunks up on the cliff before being pushed off. Should I warn everyone before hand?…No, that'd ruin Tamaki and Haruhi's little moment later on. Should I be up there with her though or go up with the others? I know a bit of martial arts, so I can rough them up a bit but…I want to do something more._ I rolled over and swam to the beach just as Haruhi called out to Tamaki with a wave with Fu-kun on Honey's shoulder next to her.

"Senpai! Dinner tonight's going to be huge!"

_Crap. Forgot about that too…I hate seafood…_

"What do you think, Haruhi? Do you like giant crabs?"

I walked over as she smiled brightly and the other guests came over to see what was going on.

"I do!"

Tamaki's face flushed a bit as he thought about how cute she was, when I noticed a centipede crawling over the crab. The guests freaked, along with the twins, and they all ran off screaming while Tamaki, Haruhi, and I just stood there. Looking back at the crab, noticing Tamaki was actually in shock, I picked up the centipede and let it crawl around my hand for a moment before I held it out towards Haruhi.

"You wanna take it?"

She shrugged, but took it and tossed it over to some rocks. The twins came over and placed their arms on both of our shoulders with odd looks.

"**Hey, Haruhi…"**

"We'll step back and assume you're a kind, bug-loving girl…"

"…But can't you at least throw the bug away more gently?"

"And we never thought you'd…""…Like bugs too…"

"**Kohaku-senpai."**

"It won't die from a throw like that." Haruhi said.

"She's right and I don't like bugs, but I don't hate them either. Now _reptiles_, those are just freakin' cool."

I grinned and they all gave me a look like I was insane as the girls returned.

"Haruhi-kun is so manly."

"And Kohaku-kun was really brave even though he's so shy."

Haruhi and I were instantly surrounded as I spotted Tamaki and the twins talking further off. _Probably about the game to find Haruhi's weakness._ I continued watching them as Kyoya came over and held out pictures, making everyone want to join in when I spotted him give me a smirk. _Oh crap. He's planning something._

He said something to the others and they gave him confused looks, glancing between him and I every once in a while. Kyoya said something else and whatever it was seemed to have gotten them to agree. _Great. He's even got the twins smirking at me. This can't be good._ _Oh well, I'll find out sooner or later._

And man did I find out. Somehow, I got dragged along with the twins and their little group into the cave nearby. I rolled my eyes, already knowing what was going to happen. _I don't get scared easily anyway. They'll be disappointed._

"This place is actually the haunted spot where even the locals don't dare to come to."

"This cave doesn't show itself except for when the tide is out."

"Despite this, there have been many people who have drowned here and apparently, their grudges drag people that pass by into the darkness."

"What's that?!" Kaoru shouted.

I ignored him, seeing how he didn't look very convincing to begin with, but the other girls weren't as observant and were shivering and cuddling each other in fear before they screamed. A hand landed on Haruhi's shoulder and another grabbed my ankle, but I remained unresponsive, other than turning around to look at Kaoru who had a flashlight shining on his face.

"What is this? Some kind of fear trial?" Haruhi asked.

"Not very scary if you ask me." I responded.

"You two aren't scared of ghosts at all?" Hikaru said as he moved the fake ghost puppet he had.

"Well, I've never actually seen one and I had a feeling you two were up to something like this."

"What about…"

"…you, Kohaku-senpai?"

I turned back around as were we walking out of the cave, facing Haruhi and the twins.

"I've actually seen ghosts so this doesn't scare me. My grandparents' place was haunted. Had the previous owner still hanging around…Quite literally."

I trialed off and left the cave, leaving the three hosts shivering in shock and fear. It was a true story too. _And a disturbing one at that. I had nightmares for months after that._

"Ko-chan! Haru-chan! This way! This way!"

She was confused by the huge truck Honey was standing in, but I climbed in with him and sat in the back corner of the truck as he called down to Kyoya's private police force.

"Well then, everyone in the private police, please."

"Yes, sir!" They saluted us as I mock saluted back, and closed the door to the vehicle.

_3...2...1..._

"It's scary; it's dark; it's cramped in here!"

Honey continued to yell and shout, repeating his fears as he grew more and more panicked, before I finally got up and knocked on the truck door to alert the police that we were finished. They opened the door and we all jumped out, Honey jumping into my open arms to cry about what had just occurred. Turning around, I froze and blinked at the harpoon that was pointed in my direction.

"This is a harpoon, isn't it, Mori-senpai?" Haruhi said.

"Ah."

Mori deadpanned and I took the weapon from him, handing it off to one of the police nearby after I handed Honey back. Then, I spotted the twins over by one of the small buildings and headed over towards them where I leaned on the wall they were sitting on.

"Ah, she's so fearless. Doesn't that disqualify her as the heroine?"

I smirked, but when I heard Tamaki shout, I was over the wall in an instant. In his hands, was a bucket full of snakes.

"I've got green snakes here. It should look disgusting when I've gathered this much."

"Anyone would feel disgusted at that." Hikaru mumbled.

"Oh!" I hurried over, much to the surprise of the three hosts, and picked up one of the snakes out of the bucket gently. "So cool!"

"Are you serious?" Kaoru said.

"You're even more fearless than Haruhi, Kohaku-senpai."

I nodded, replacing the snake and glancing up at the cliff where I saw Haruhi heading. I started walking off, but then I thought I should mention something to the three guys.

"Ah, and those aren't green snakes, Tamaki. They're pit vipers."

With that, I ran up towards the cliff as they ran off screaming. I met up with Haruhi just as she threw her bucket of shells at one of the guys.

"Let her go. She doesn't like it."

"Yeah." I growled. "Leave them alone."

"Damn brats!"

The three guys let the girls go and they ran off to go get help, while Haruhi and I were confronted by the guys. The leader of the group reached out to grab Haruhi, but I grabbed his wrist in a painful grip. I was glad the girls were gone, because I'd rather they didn't see this side of me.

"Hey. I thought we said to _piss off._"

"Why you-"

He swung a punch at me, but I dodged and threw him to the ground, surprising him and his groupies. I raised my own fist to punch him, but a hand grabbed mine and I turned to see Haruhi shaking her head.

"Don't, Kohaku-kun. It's not worth it."

I sighed, but let go of the guy's shirt and turned around to head back to the beach with Haruhi.

"I guess you're right. Let's head back so the others don't worr-"

_Wham!_

My words were cut off as something hard hit me in the back of the head, causing my vision to spin and make me fall to the ground. I groaned as Haruhi started yelling at me, her voice mixing with the guys' shouting.

"Kohaku-kun!"

"Dude! You trying to kill him?!"

"What the hell, man?!"

"Shut up! I-I just-He pissed me off!"

I felt Haruhi being pulled away from me and I struggled, but managed to stand; swaying a bit as I held my head. I felt one of the other guys grab my arms and pull me back. In my fogged vision, I saw the leader holding Haruhi close to the edge and something in me snapped.

I got out of the guy's hold and kicked him hard across the face, knocking him into his buddy, before I ran over and clobbered the leader in the face; forcing him to release Haruhi. He started to get up and I turned to Haruhi quickly.

"Go!"

"B-But Ko-"

She was cut off as the guy came back up and hit me good across the jaw. I fell to the ground again, dangerously close to the edge seeing how my head was hanging over the side.

"Kohaku-kun!"

I coughed as a foot hit me in the stomach, but had enough energy to glare as the leader who was holding Haruhi hostage once again.

"Damn brats. Kids like you two should just go bathe in the sea!"

"Haruhi!"

I heard Tamaki's shout just as the guy pushed both Haruhi and I off the cliff. As I hit the water, Tamaki had as well and I saw him grab Haruhi so I started swimming to the surface. I knew she was safe now and, although I was exhausted and hurt, I doubted the others would have seen me fall into the ocean as well. I grabbed onto a rock nearby and coughed a bit, before swimming to shore. When I was able to, I stood up and walked noticing a little white Fu-kun running in my direction as the others noticed me.

"Kohaku-kun!"

"Ko-kun!"

I scooped up Fu-kun and placed him on my shoulder, where he licked my bruised jaw and wandered towards Haruhi and the others. After Haruhi was placed on the ground, she hurried towards me concerned.

"Are you okay, Kohaku-kun?"

I gave her a smile, but winced as pain shot up my jaw. "I've been better."

"I've already called for a doctor, so one should be here soon." Kyoya said.

I nodded and rubbed the back of my head gently, bringing my hand back to find some blood on it. I frowned with a sigh when I noticed Honey's eyes go wide. _Oh crap. He saw._

"Ko-kun! You're bleeding!"

That caught everyone's attention and Kyoya was glaring at me.

"I-I'm fine, Honey-kun. Besides, Kyoya already called a doctor so it'll be better in no time."

I could still see the worry in Honey-kun's eyes and something inside me felt…angry. _Honey knows I'm a girl and he's treating me like I'm some fragile doll when I'm not. I'm nowhere close to that._ I mentally sighed, knowing that I shouldn't be getting angry with Honey over some stupid stereotypical thought most guys have about girls. There was just no point. Just then, I heard Tamaki going at it with Haruhi.

"You…Are you a martial arts expert like Honey-senpai or won any diving competitions?!"

She seemed a bit confused as Tamaki grabbed her shoulders.

"Why do you think one girl like you can take on guys?"

She looked determined as she spoke. "This has nothing to do with being a guy or a girl. When you're put into a situation like that, you didn't have time to think about things like that and Kohaku-kun was-"

"Still think about it, stupid! You're still a girl!"

Haruhi glared and I felt like I should do something. Not only because I felt she was right, but also because it wasn't entirely true that she was taking those guys on herself.

"I apologize for causing trouble, but I don't understand why I need to get scolded for something more than that. I didn't do anything wrong!"

"Oh yeah? Then do whatever you want." Tamaki let her go and started walking away from her. "I won't talk to you until you accept the fact that you were wrong."

I looked between the two before sighing and heading towards the mansion next to Haruhi. _I seem to be doing a lot of sighing today, but I should still apologize._

"I'm sorry." I said.

"What are you talking about?" She gave me a confused look.

"Tamaki's angry with you when it's my fault. I should have paid more attention."

She glared and stopped walking, alerting the other hosts and they turned around to watch.

"Stop it."

"Stop what?"

I was confused. I couldn't fathom at the moment why she was angry with me and my new headache wasn't helping.

"Stop blaming yourself, Kohaku-kun. You couldn't have stopped what happened."

"Yes I could've!" Haruhi and the others were shocked that I raised my voice at her, but I kept going. "I could've stopped it. I could've prevented everything…No…I couldn't have. It would ruin it…all of it…"

My head was pounding, drowning out everything as I felt everything just give way. My knees crumpled, hitting the sand, before I feel forward and my world went blank.

* * *

"The weather really changed…"

"I wanted to play with the fireworks." Honey pouted.

"Yeah, me too. Haruhi, it's your turn."

Haruhi wasn't in the room, so Hikaru rolled the dice for the board game they had discovered in Nekozawa's mansion.

"4...5...6...7. 'Five years later, suffers an automobile accident and fractures the left wrist' what the hell?"

Kyoya sighed. "12 years later, company goes bankrupt. Reduced to working as a janitor at a department store'. It's not even funny."

"I'm '10 years later, your height will decrease by 2 cm'." Honey pouted.

"Who's next?" Kaoru asked.

"Kohaku-kun." Mori said.

They rolled for the missing host and winced at what he landed on. "Uh, '8 years later, mugged on street corner and passes out in a gutter. Lose a turn'." Kaoru sighed and played for Tamaki since he was busy being depressed.

"**Currently earned hatred from friend, massively depressed."**

The gloom around him darkened and the twins began to tease him for a while, until the lights suddenly came on (frightening Nekozawa) and Haruhi and Kohaku came in through the door; Fu-kun on Kohaku's shoulder and bandages around Kohaku's head. The group was surprised, for more than one reason. First off, Kohaku and Haruhi entered together despite their previous argument, but more importantly, Haruhi was in a dress and a cute one at that.

"The main breaker was thrown, so I turned it back on." Haruhi said.

"I told her not to, for Nekozawa's sake, but…that obviously didn't work."

Kohaku grumbled as he went and sat down at the table, dropping his head on it and closing his eyes with a huff. Haruhi rolled her eyes as the hosts began asking about her clothes.

"Yeah, I think my dad repacked all my bags. He always wants me to wear this kind of thing."

"Haru-chan kawaii!"

"Are your wounds okay?"

Haruhi nodded at Kyoya before the twins started pampering her. She pretty much didn't care, having already gotten used to the twins, but she soon spotted Tamaki sporting an impressive nosebleed. After Honey unsuccessfully tried to stop it, everyone sat down at the table to eat and Kyoya, reluctantly, sat next to the half-conscious Kohaku.

"You should eat, senpai."

"Mhmmhm."

He wasn't quite sure what he had said, his voice being muffled by the table, and frowned at him.

"I cannot understand you with your face planted in the dining table."

Kohaku lifted his head and gave Kyoya a blank look.

"I don't like seafood."

"Should I ask the servants for something else?"

Kohaku raised a brow at him. "Shocking. Never knew you could be nice. I thought you hated me." He trailed off and plopped his head back on the table, turning it to the side so he could see the frustrated look now on Kyoya's face. "But, no. I'm not hungry. You should be more worried about those two."

His hand pointed at Tamaki and Haruhi, the former trying to steal crab while the latter stabbed at his hand with a crab claw. Kyoya wasn't surprised, but he subconsciously wondered why Kohaku was acting…_different_.

"Even Haruhi has a surprisingly immature side to her." Hikaru noticed.

"A commoner's obsession with food is at an almost frightening level." Kyoya said, having remembered how Kohaku acted when being woken up. _Hm, quite similar to now, actually. Perhaps…_ Kyoya quickly got up and headed to the kitchen where he asked for something small and sweet.

Returning to the dining room, he placed the small pint of cherry cordial ice cream down in front of Kohaku with a spoon. He watched as Kohaku slowly seemed to notice something, turning his head to the side and sniffing the air. It was quite amusing, really, but Kyoya was sure to keep a straight face even as Kohaku dug into the ice cream with a smile on his face.

"Hey you! Are you the twins or something?!"

Kohaku and Kyoya were both unaffected by Tamaki's shout, but they turned to watch the scene unfold nonetheless.

"Didn't you say you weren't going to talk to me anymore? And besides, you're gonna burst my eardrums."

The room grew silent but tense before Tamaki finally seemed to have enough.

"It seems like you have no intentions of apologizing…Fine then! I'm going to bed!"

He turned towards the door and one of Nekozawa's servants offered to take him to his room, but one look at the hallway had Tamaki giving Kyoya the puppy dog eyes.

"Kyoya…"

With a sigh, Kyoya got up. "Everyone, please excuse me."

Kohaku stood up as well, surprising the others and followed them out, pausing at the door and turning around.

"I'm sorry if I worried you."

He bowed and left, and the hosts still in the room all turned to Haruhi as she paused in her excessive eating.

"Maybe I should learn karate or something."

The hosts sweat dropped with a sigh, thinking the same thing. _She's clueless._

* * *

I walked down the hall next to Kyoya and Tamaki still munching on my ice cream.

"Neh, Kyoya-kun, how'd you know I liked this kind of ice cream?"

He glanced at me as I hummed and took another bite.

"You seemed angry earlier and I assumed you'd just woken up. As for the ice cream, I had no knowledge that it was something you liked."

"Oh…You wanna try some?"

I held out the container to him and he raised a brow in question while Tamaki chuckled.

"What, pray tell, is so funny, Tamaki?" Kyoya growled.

"I-It's just…I haven't seen you look so confused before!"

"I am not confused."

"Then why haven't you done anything?"

Kyoya paused and looked over at me as I gave a small smile, enjoying the situation before me. He frowned at me before grabbing the spoon in my hand and shoving it in his mouth. My face flushed a bit as he pulled away and glared at Tamaki.

"There."

He stopped and opened the door the servant pointed out for him before shutting it behind him a bit harshly. Tamaki laughed as we continued to follow the servant and I turned to him. Something just seemed odd about how he was acting.

"Tamaki-kun, what are you hiding?"

He paused in his laughing and turned towards me. "Hm?"

"Earlier, with Kyoya-kun…I-I haven't seen you act like that before."

He gave a soft smile. "Yeah, well, I haven't seen Kyoya like that either. You've changed him more than you think, Kohaku-senpai."

"Me?" I gave him an odd look. "He hates me. He's always getting angry with me and glaring at me for no reason. I'm surprised he hasn't shipped me out of the country in a cardboard box."

I frowned and ate another bite of my ice cream a bit viciously. Tamaki just chuckling away next to me.

"I disagree. You seem to…provide a challenge for him. This is the first time I've seen him so determined to figure something out that doesn't have to do with his father."

I thought about that for a second and nodded. "I guess. He's a tough challenge for me too. It's…It's just hard to figure out what he's thinking sometimes."

"You should be grateful. Most of us can't even guess what he's thinking at all…But, try not to take what he says to heart. He may seem harsh, and rude, and evil, and-"

"And a lot of other things, but he's a nice guy deep down. I know that, Tamaki-kun. I just wish he'd show it more."

Tamaki stopped outside his door and grabbed me by the shoulders, looking in my eyes with a serious look.

"Kohaku-senpai…" He smiled. "I'm sure you are the only person who can make that happen."

I flushed as he stood back up and winked at me, causing my mind to go haywire. _H-He knows?! B-B-But he's…he's Tamaki! He's supposed to be the densest one here! How did he figure it out?! __**You should know by know kid. Use that brain you're so proud of.**_ I sighed and went into my own room, sending the servant off and starting up the shower. I needed to relax a bit especially with the new information Tamaki had given me.

I sighed and got in, letting the water drip off me as I thought. _So, who knows so far…Honey, Mori, Haruhi, and now Tamaki. The twins still seem to think I'm gay and Kyoya…Why hasn't he figured it out? Is it just _that_ uncommon? Haruhi should have clued him in somewhat. That's probably how Tamaki figured it out._

I turned off the water and got out, draping the towel over my head after I replaced my chest bandages and put on black pajama pants and a black sweater that stretched to my fingertips. I heard my stomach growl and guessed that the ice cream wasn't quite enough to satisfy me until morning so I headed towards the door; leaving the towel on a chair nearby.

"You staying here, Fu-kun? I'm going to get some food."

_**Yeah. I'll wait for you. Oh, oh! Bring me a banana!**_

I sniggered, knowing that a banana was his favorite treat and how excited he'd get when I'd buy some at the store for him.

"Sure thing. Behave."

He rolled his small violet eyes and relaxed on my bed as I grabbed my ipod and left the room. Soft guitar music played through my headphones and I smiled at the song as I saw rain patter down a window I passed and began to sing.

"_Take a photograph,_

_It'll be the last,_

_Not a dollar or a crowd could ever keep me here,_

_I don't have a past_

_I just have a chance,_

_Not a family or honest plea remains to say,_

_Rain, rain go away,_

_Come again another day,_

_All the world is waiting for the sun._

_Is it you I want or just the notion_

_Of a heart to wrap around so I can find my way around?_

_Safe to say from here,_

_You're getting closer now,_

_We are never sad 'cause we are not allowed to be_

_Rain, rain go away,_

_Come again another day,_

_All the world is waiting for the sun._

_Rain, rain go away,_

_Come again another day,_

_All the world is waiting for the sun._

_To lie here under you,_

_Is all that I could ever do,_

_To lie here under you is all,_

_To lie here under you is all that I could ever do,_

_To lie here under you is all,_

_Rain, rain go away,_

_Come again another day,_

_All the world is waiting for the sun._

_Rain, rain go away,_

_Come again another day,_

_All the world is waiting for the sun,_

_All the world is waiting for the sun,_

_All the world is waiting for the sun."_

As I finished, I noticed Tamaki giving me a small smile and clapping softly. I had been caught again and I blushed a bit, pausing my ipod and taking off my headphones.

"S-Sorry. I was just going to grab a bite to eat and I-I thought I was alone."

He shook his head. "It's okay. You really are a good singer though, Kohaku-senpai. You shouldn't be so embarrassed by it."

"R-Right. You heading over to Kyoya's room for lotion then?"

"Hm? Yeah. How'd you know?"

I froze a bit and mentally questioned myself. _Should I tell him? Not the whole truth, just…that I know things. I mean, he's always shown as the most idiotic character and he's certainly proved that, but I actually know him now and…I think I can trust him. With this much, at least._ I took a deep breath and started walking with him towards Kyoya's room as I spoke.

"I-I don't know how to say this without sounding w-weird, but I know things about you and the host club."

"What do you mean?"

"I know how you all met, how Honey-kun was going to be washed away in the jungle pool, how Haruhi-chan was going to be pushed off the cliff today, and even a bit about all of your families. I know what else is going to happen today and over summer break. I know about Kyoya's father and how Kyoya-kun is the third son who's fighting to become the heir and fighting to be respected. I know about your mother in France, Tamaki-kun, and about how your grandmother hates you." I looked upwards as I fiddled with the sleeves of my sweater. "I know more than anyone here should and it's hard trying not to change anything."

I glanced over at him as he held a hand to his chin in thought with his brows furrowed. It took him a moment, but he soon spoke up.

"So…you're like a psychic?"

"I guess you could call it that. The only difference is, I only know up to a certain point and I only know one side of the story. You were all just like characters in a story to me and I was just interfering with the plot."

"Do you still believe that?"

I snapped my head in his direction in shock. I hadn't expected that but, when I looked at him, at those violet eyes, all I saw was curiosity. He wasn't judging me because I thought of them as imaginary characters or because I knew things I shouldn't know or even because I hadn't saved Haruhi from being pushed. He just wanted to know what I thought now. _Now_ was all that mattered. I gave a short chuckle and smiled at him.

"No…No, I guess I don't. I know that Kyoya's not the evil, shadow lord I thought he was. I know that Mori isn't actually quiet, and that Haruhi is possibly the greatest friend I've ever had. But most of all, I know that I'm not alone anymore and that you guys can't just be seen as characters anymore because you're all here for me…Whether I want you to be or not."

We both laughed a bit as we approached Kyoya's room and Tamaki opened the door.

"Kyoya, do you have any lotion? My sunburn is hurting like-"

He saw the scene in front of him and immediately came to his own conclusions, but Kyoya quickly dissolved them and shut the door behind him with a sigh. I snickered and he looked surprised to see me there.

"She got to you, didn't she?"

"Who?" Kyoya said with a scowl.

"Haruhi-chan. She said something like 'you were playing the villain to defend Tamaki', right?"

"How long have you been here?"

"I just bumped into Tamaki-kun on the way to get a snack. I haven't been here long."

"Then how-"

I smirked at him. "Shouldn't you be the one to figure that out? That's part of the game, isn't it?"

He snarled at me, something I didn't expect, but what I didn't expect more was him grabbing me and dragging me to Tamaki's abandoned room and holding me against the wall.

"Tell me, now."

I frowned. "Tell you what?"

"Tell. Me. _Everything_. You may know how to fool everyone else into thinking and doing what you want them to, but I know what's going on. Tell me what you're hiding."

"I'm hiding t-the same things you are."

I cursed my stutter at that moment. I was scared of this Kyoya. Frightened of what he was asking me and how he was asking me, but I didn't want to feel this way. I didn't want to feel fear and more importantly, I didn't want him to know I was feeling it. He smirked at me and I knew it was too late for that. He _knew_ he was scaring me and he was glad he was.

"You're scared, aren't you? _Frightened_. Tell me what I want and I'll let you go."

I swallowed and tried to control the shaking of my limbs. I didn't want to tell him. I wanted him to figure it out, but my instincts were all telling me to say it and run. I was the prey in this situation and Kyoya was the starving lion, hungry for information.

"I-I…won't. I won't tell you."

I stared up at him defiantly and his gaze hardened as lightening flashed in the background and thunder rattled the windows. I suddenly felt myself being thrown to the ground as Kyoya straddled me, pinning me there. My head was ringing after it hit the ground, but I was more afraid of what was going to happen next.

"Tell me!" He shouted, his face full of pure unadulterated rage. "I've seen what you've done to us! How you twist us around your damn finger! And I'm not going to let you continue doing it! So you better tell me everything right now or I will personally throw you out of this country myself!"

"T-Then do it."

He seemed slightly surprised, but it was quickly masked with anger once more.

"I-I don't want to t-t-tell you. I'm just a-as much of a puzzle to you as y-you are to me. I…I want to see that look you get when you learn something new about me. I-I want you to figure me out a-and have that challenge t-t-that you've always wanted. Please. I j-just want to see you do something for yourself. I-I just want you to be happy!"

His eyes widened as I felt tears fall down the side of my face. I felt stupid for crying again but, for once, I felt it was okay this time, because I was crying for someone else. I was crying for Kyoya.

He released me as I cried and curled up into a ball on the floor in a sad attempt to hide my tears from him. I could feel bruises forming on my wrists from where he held me down but that didn't matter to me right now. What mattered most, were the two soft words Kyoya mumbled as he left the room.

"I'm sorry…"

The only sound left in the room were my quiet sobs after that, and I didn't want to move. I used my sleeves to wipe my tears, but they were just replaced by more and I soon gave up and cried. _What was I supposed to do?! If I told him, he would know a-and I'd just end up being tossed to the side! I just didn't want that to happen again! A-All I want is to be wanted. Loved…But I can never get that, can I? No guy would want someone like me. To them…I'm just 'one of the guys'._ _And to him…I'm just a puzzle he can throw away like the others._

I curled up tighter at the thought and choked out a sob as I heard something. Music. I looked around with blurred vision and spotted my headphones lying discarded off to the side. They must have accidentally fallen off and started my ipod at some point. I grabbed them and shoved them over my ears, recognizing a familiar tune and singing along to the song as tears flowed even more.

"_furidashita ame wa kawaita asufaruto ni tokete (The rain that started falling melts into the dry asphalt)_

_binetsu majiri no te tsumetaku tsutsumikonde yuku (I coldly wrap up this hand that is mixed with a slight fever)_

_namida misezu ni nani ka wo gizei ni shite aruku (Without seeing the tears, I walk turning something into the victim)_

_tatoe kekka kimi wo uragiru koto ni natte mo (As a result I even end up betraying you)_

_demo ne kawareru kibou wo sutete made kono mama (But you know, it can change. I remain like this until I will throw away my hope)_

_kimi to zutto onaji yume wo miyou to ... (Always with you, I want to see the same dream like you)_

_kurikaesu hibi ga bokura wo nurashite yuku (The repeating days are soaking us more and more)_

_ano hi egaita basho sae (Even that painted place of that day)_

_doshaburi no yoru wa zutto nariyamanai (The down pouring night is never stopping to cry)_

_yoru ga naku naku (The night is crying, crying)"_

I was full on sobbing at this point and struggled to keep my voice as steady as I could to distract myself from the meaning behind the lyrics.

"_furidashita ame ga tsuchi no nioi wo kaze ni nosete (The rain that started to fall is taking in the smell of the Earth with the wind)_

_namanuruku tamaru mizutamari ni kao ga utsuru (Collected halfheartedly, my face is reflected in a puddle of water)_

_kore de ii no ka ? (Is it okay with that?)_

_kotae wa hitotsu shika nai kedo (There is only one answer)_

_kore ga nayami unda kekka mou kikanaide kure (This is the result born from agony. Please don't ask me anymore)_

_jibun semareba kimochi wa sukoshi raku ni nareru ? (If I blame my myself will my feelings become a little more comforting?)_

_hora ne itsumo higaisha no furi shite bakari (Listen, always I am only pretending to be the victim)_

_kireigoto narabe aruite waraiatte mo (I'm walking lining up my hypocrisies even if we laugh together)_

_ame ga subete wo nagashiteku (The rain is washing everything away)_

_wakare wo tsugeta hi hontou wa naite ita yo (The truth is that I was crying on the day you told me it was over)_

_uso no emi toke (My false smile is melting)_

_mayoi tsuzuke nayami tsuzuke (I keep doubting, I keep worrying)_

_tsuyoku natte ikeru to omou kara (Because I think I can live becoming strong)_

_mayoi tsuzuke nayami tsuzuke (I keep doubting, I keep worrying)_

_konna hibi wo warai aeru hi made (Until we can laugh about those days together)_

_sutekirenu omoi yukkuri iki wo tomete (The never ending memory, slowly cutting off my breathing)_

_hitomi tojite iki wo haki (I close my eyes and exhale)_

_ano hi omoidashite no hira tsuyoku nigiri (Remembering that day. I'm strongly grasping your hand)_

_asu ni negau (Wishing to tomorrow)_

_kurikaesu hibi ga bokura wo nurashite yuku (The repeating days are soaking us more and more)_

_ano hi egaita basho sae (Even that painted place of that day)_

_doshaburi no yoru wa zutto nariyamanai (The down pouring night is never stopping to cry)_

_yoru ga naku naku (The night is crying, crying)"_

The song was finished and I had finally run out of tears. I got up off the floor, feeling ridiculous, especially since I was still in Tamaki's room. I wiped my eyes one final time and poked my head in the bathroom to see if I looked as bad as I felt. I was lucky I didn't, aside from a bit of redness around my eyes, and I took a few deep breaths to bring my breathing back down to a normal pace.

I left the room feeling more depressed than I wished I was and snuck off to the kitchen only to remember that I didn't know where it was. So instead, I wandered a bit until I heard voices and turned the corner to find Nekozawa being harassed by the other hosts. I didn't want to deal with them right now, but I felt bad for Nekozawa and I needed to at least get the banana for Fu-kun before I returned to my room. I walked over and pulled the twins off of him with a sigh.

"**Hey!"**

"Sorry, but I need him to show me where the kitchen is. Fu-kun wants a banana."

They gave me odd looks, but the twins shrugged and started leaving with the others in tow. That is, except for Mori.

"You okay?"

I looked up at him and knew just from the way he looked at me that he would know I wasn't no matter what I said. I sighed and rubbed my eyes again as I felt them itch with the possibility of more tears. I didn't bother to look back up at him, but I couldn't just leave without an answer.

"No…No, I'm not…But I'm strong, so…I'll patch myself up."

He was silent for a moment, so I gave him a weak attempt at a smile.

"Thank you, Mori-kun. Thank you for caring so much."

I gave him a hug, clutching at the back of his shirt and I felt his arms return the comfort. I needed this, I realized. I needed someone who would just be there for me; not having to say anything, but knowing just what I needed. I let him go and smiled painfully again before waving over my shoulder as I followed Nekozawa to the kitchen. _Now to find Fu-kun's stupid banana._

* * *

I was woken up the next morning by Mori, the only one daring enough to try, feeling like I had been run over by a semi truck. I was thankful towards Fu-kun for not asking what happened last night when I came in still a bit upset, but the worried looks he kept sending me as I got dressed were starting to get on my nerves.

_I'm fine. Stop looking at me like that. __**You just look…upset. Can't a ferret be worried?**__ You can be worried all you want, just don't show me you're worried…Please._ I heard him sigh, but he stopped giving me glances and I was outside with everyone in a few minutes. Unfortunately, 'everyone' included Kyoya and the moment I caught sight of him, I rubbed the bruises on my wrist unconsciously. A heavy hand landed on my shoulder and I looked up to find Mori giving him a look before glancing at me and squeezing comfortingly.

"Thanks." I mumbled to him and he gave a soft smile.

"Ah."

I stuck to Mori like glue after that as we went to go find Tamaki with Haruhi 'in bondage'. The twins teased him and Haruhi joined in, but I couldn't find any enjoyment in the situation at all as we all headed out to the limos.

"**So~ Who's going with who?"**

I flinched as the twins' eyes landed on me and Mori pulled me closer, an action that no one expected.

"He's going with us."

Was all he said, but when I glanced at everyone as they filed into their limos, my eyes caught Kyoya's again. His grey eyes searched mine briefly with what looked like hidden anger until he looked down and his eyes widened. I wondered what he was looking at when I remembered the bruises on my wrists. I pulled my sleeves down and allowed Mori to push me towards the limo in order for him to take me home. _How am I going to fix this?_


	8. Author's Note! SUPER Important!

**Oh man, you guys are going to be very upset about this, but I won't be updating for a while. My laptop died on me Christmas Eve and I haven't been able to fix it. T.T It really sucks because I was in the middle of writing updates (for The Black Panther, Street Smarts, and Amber Leaves) and it just stopped working and now it won't turn on. It's possible that I will lose **_**everything**_** as far as ongoing fanfic ideas, new chapters, and new fanfics. My mom is trying to save everything, but I don't know if my computer will be fixed or if I'll have to get a new one and start over.**

**I **_**will**_** have you know that I am handwriting the next chapter for Amber Leaves in a notebook right now and I will use my family's other computer to update it soon, hopefully. If I'm lucky, my computer problems will be solved soon, but for now most of my updates will be slow or on hold. So I'm super sorry for all of you who have been looking for updates and for those of you who are following me and now have 8 new emails from me. ^^**


	9. Chapter 7

**Whoo! It's finally up! The Lobelia episode! Okay I just wanted to let you guys know that this may be the only fanfic I will be updating until my laptop is fixed since this is the only one I have the manga for. (i really need to get more manga) anyway, it's extra long and i hope you guys like it and i also hope no one is too out of character. ^^ Oh! And this chapter is dedicated to Allie Summers who, intentionally or otherwise, can't seem to spell 'please' correctly more than a few times in a row XD you totally made my day when I saw that.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own ouran or anything like that, nor do i own 'The Kill' by 30 Seconds to Mars. i do own my own characters though such as Fu-kun, Kohaku, and the newest mystery character which will only be introduced in this chapter :)  
**

**Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed and, sorry about this, but I'm going to only respond to some of the anonymous reviews right now. skip to the story if you're not one of them if you want.  
**

**Chi-Chi: sorry for updating so late! i'm really glad you like my fanfic and I'm actually considering becoming an author, but i think my writing still needs a bit of work first.  
Amber Gail: okay, you reviewed alot so i'm going to go by your earliest review...as for how i make it so long...I'm not quite sure how I do it. I try to add more detail than i did in my other fanfictions but not too much to bore the reader. also, adding song lyrics takes up quite a bit of space as well and, instead of splitting up each episode/arc into multiple chapters, i make one chapter per episode/arc. Also, I _do_ have a deviantart account, but I rarely use it. I think the last time I used it was a few years ago...and i don't have a watpad or anything, so i'm just going to hand write my chapters in a notebook and type them up later. it's working so far.  
A.G.Z.: I'm super sorry about updating so late and I hope your situation has gotten better. and just to let you know, i come from a big family and most of them say i suck at writing too, but just ignore them and keep writing ^^ if anything, writing more will help you improve as will reading other great author's works.  
Kitty Kat Kit: Thanks for liking my fanfic so much and i'm glad you may have decided to write your own :) it's always nice to hear I influenced someone to do something like this.**

Done! okay. Onwards with the story and sorry if there's a few AN's tossed around in there.  


* * *

Kyoya glared down at his laptop in frustration as his limo prepared to take him and Tamaki home from Nekozawa's beach house. Said blonde was huddled in a corner of the limo, still upset about being called an S&M pervert and nearly being left behind; should Kyoya have not decided to return and pick him up. Although, Kyoya was beginning to regret his action due to Tamaki's mumbling interrupting his thoughts. Pushing up his glasses, he frowned at the idiot.

"Tamaki, might I suggest stopping your insistent muttering?"

Tamaki glanced up, tears pouring down his face as he shot up and grabbed at Kyoya's clothes.

"B-But those devilish twins called me a pervert and took my daughter away from me!" He wailed.

"I could care less, Tamaki, seeing how I have my own problems to take care of at the moment."

Tamaki grew quiet at Kyoya's demanding tone and twiddled his thumbs as the clacking of keys filled the tense silence of the limo. Gathering his courage, Tamaki spoke up.

"I-Is there something wrong, Kyoya? You seem t-to be in a bad mood."

"It is none of your concern."

Now, most people would drop the subject, but Tamaki isn't 'most people' and when one of his friends is troubled, he made it his job to fix it. Thinking back, Tamaki wondered what could have possibly put Kyoya in such a foul mood, when he remembered a certain white-haired host acting more timid than usual earlier that morning.

"Does it have something to do with Kohaku-senpai?"

Kyoya's typing faltered and Tamaki grinned at having discovered what Kyoya was trying to hide from him.

"Ah! So it _does _have to do with our senpai!"

"Stay out of it, Tamaki." Kyoya growled out, but Tamaki didn't hear him.

"Oh! I wonder what happened to make mommy so upset with our son-"

"I said 'enough', Tamaki!"

Kyoya's stern voice echoed in the small space and Tamaki went dead quiet, but he wouldn't give up yet.

"You shouldn't keep these things bottled up, Kyoya. It's better to talk about what happened, that way you are able to fix the problem before it gets worse."

"Then what do you expect me to do? You don't even know what happened, so how can you act as though you have all the answers?" He snapped.

"I just don't want my family to be broken up."

At that, any anger Kyoya had towards Tamaki faded and he sighed, resuming his typing.

"We had an argument. I asked him what he was hiding from us and when he didn't respond, I lost my temper."

Tamaki nodded eagerly as he thought about what Kyoya had said.

"Did you apologize?"

Kyoya paused in his typing briefly, before resuming.

"Yes, but I doubt this will be fixed by a mere apology."

Tamaki was a bit surprised that Kyoya had, indeed, apologized to Kohaku, but he felt that Kyoya had done something a bit _more_ than just arguing.

"Kyoya…you didn't…_hurt_ him, did you?"

The typing stopped, confirming Tamaki's fears, and Kyoya closed his computer; setting it aside and removing his glasses as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"As I said before, I lost my temper and-"

"You hit him?! Oh, my darling son!"

Kyoya hit Tamaki on the head with a glare.

"Shut it. I did not hit him…Although, I fear what damage I may have caused did more harm than I intended."

Putting back on his glasses, Kyoya turned away from Tamaki and stared out of the window as the scenery passed by in a blur.

"Well…I guess you'll just have to make it up to him then."

Shocked at Tamaki's response, Kyoya turned around to see his friend grinning brightly and Kyoya laughed.

"Something that simple? Tamaki, you surely are an idiot. I highly doubt 'making it up to him' will work."

"Why not?" Tamaki asked, innocently.

"Bringing his laugh down to a slight chuckle, Kyoya pushed up his glasses.

"He is more intelligent than you think, Tamaki. He knows how to twist people around his finger better than most men I've seen. Who's to say he hasn't already planned on leaving the Host Club?"

"He wouldn't do that." Tamaki said seriously and Kyoya raised a brow. "I know he wouldn't do that, because I have never seen anyone who wants the Host Club as his family _more _than Kohaku-senpai."

Silenced by his friend's words of wisdom, Kyoya turned back towards the window.

"It seems you know more about him than me."

Tamaki laughed. "Ahaha! Maybe you're right, but maybe it's just because we're so similar. After all, you always make it up to me when _we_ fight."

Kyoya sighed. "I suppose I could come up with something. It would be problematic if our profits were effected."

"Aw." Tamaki whined. "You sounded so cool just now, until you got to the profits, that is."

"Yes, yes." Kyoya said with a slight smile. "But one must always consider the pros and cons of _every_ situation."

Tamaki smiled softly and shifted his gaze out the window. _Same old Kyoya._

* * *

I couldn't sleep. Ever since Honey and Mori dropped me off a few blocks away from my apartment (had to keep it a secret even if Kyoya and I were fighting) I hadn't been able to do anything except think about what happened at the beach between Kyoya and I.

I tried everything to get my mind off it. Boxing, eating, meditating, sleeping, and writing but I thought while I ate and meditating did nothing. Everything I wrote was crap and when it wasn't, I could see our argument within the pages. Boxing was just as bad and any music I listened to also reminded me of what happened. With a sigh, I clambered out of my futon and went to the kitchen, being careful not to bother Fu-kun as he slept.

_This is ridiculous. Why am I so bothered by this anyway? He's just going to pretend nothing happened. _I took out a soda and went to sit in the living room. That's all I did though. I couldn't do anything but sit and think and, before I realized it, Fu-kun was dashing in with my ringing alarm clock. _**How do you turn this thing off?! I've tried everything and-Hey, are you okay, kid?**_

I looked over at him with tired, black rimmed eyes, and nodded slowly before getting up and taking the noisy alarm from him; shutting it off.

"I'll be fine…and if not, I'll just pretend I am."

He gave me a concerned look, but I ignored him and got ready for school; being sure to pack at least 3 sodas and more than a handful of snacks to keep me awake during classes.

"Let's go, Fu-kun. I'm going to be late." I said blankly as I stood in the doorway.

_**You don't have to go, you know. You can stay home if you don't feel up to it.**_ I turned around and glared at him.

"I would freakin' _love_ to, Fu-kun, but if I did that, all hell would break loose." He scrambled up to my shoulder as I started walking to school with clenched fists. "Tamaki would freak out and demand that the hosts come visit me or something stupid like that. Then Kyoya would call to make sure I wasn't just ditching my hosting duties. That is, _if_ he even wants to speak to me after what happened."

_**Have you figured out what to do about that yet?**_ I shook my head and spoke, ignoring the odd looks I was getting from people who saw me talking to myself.

"No. Knowing him, he'll either ignore me as much as possible, pretend nothing happened, or work me to the bone. If I'm _lucky_, he won't do all three."

_**Well, can Haruhi help? She could talk to him, couldn't she?**_

"I suppose, but I doubt she'll be of much help. My best bet is to see how he acts and respond accordingly. Besides, it's best I worry about the plot first. I can't seem to remember what happens next."

I popped a sucker in my mouth and thought about what I could remember of the plot. _Let's see, I know Karuizawa is coming up soon, but there was a bunch of other stuff before that…hmm…There's the newspaper club, Honey's cavity, the visit to Haruhi's house, and the Halloween thing, and then-_ I suddenly stopped walking, the sucker falling out of my open mouth, as I finally remembered what happened next.

"Lobelia."

"Hey! Look out!"

Fu-kun scurried down my shirt as someone hit me from behind and I fell forward, just barely able to catch myself from crushing Fu-kun. I winced as all my weight landed on my right wrist, but managed to roll myself onto my back and come nose-to-nose with the person who pushed me. Vibrant green eyes stared back at me and I could see the concern hiding within them as he lifted himself off me and helped me up.

"You should pay more attention to where you stop. You nearly got ran over."

I glanced around and realized that I had, indeed, stopped in the middle of a street and he had saved both me and Fu-kun from being hit by pushing us onto the sidewalk.

"Thank you."

I turned back towards him and froze. _Damn, he rivals the Host Club as far as looks go._ He had black hair that was slightly long with bangs that had been pinned back. He also had a number of piercing; three on one ear, four on the other, as well as a tongue piercing that I spotted when he spoke earlier.

"Well, you're welcome." He smiled and my heart skipped. "Although, I wouldn't have expected running into someone from that rich school 'walking' of all things."

I shook my head, trying to control the heat that was rising to my face. "I-I'm not rich. I just have a, uh, sponsor…I guess you could say."

He nodded with a laugh. "Aha. Okay then. I suppose that makes sense. Ah! My name's Shindo Yamanaka, by the way."

"Oh, I-I'm uh, Kohaku Nishimura. T-Thank you again for helping us."

He blinked in confusion. "'Us'?"

Fu-kun took this as his cue and he popped up from my shirt, giving Shindo a once-over before making himself comfortable on my shoulders again.

"This is Fu-kun."

"Oh cool! A ferret! I wish I had one."

Shindo took a step closer and I quickly took a step back. I may not be stuttering as much as I normally would around him, but that doesn't mean I was comfortable with him.

"I-I really need to get to school, Y-Yamanaka-san."

He smiled again. "Right. Sorry about that. Maybe we'll see each other again sometime."

I nodded back timidly and turned to leave, giving him a small wave over my shoulder as he shouted out his goodbye.

"Bye, Kohaku-chan!"

_Did he just-_I turned around in shock, but he had already disappeared in the crowd. _H-He knew that I was a girl. H-H-How?! It takes people forever to find out, but he just knew.__** Maybe you slipped up? **_I shook my head as I started to jog through the school gates.

"I didn't screw up…He knew."

_**Is it that important to you?**_ My face grew grim as I hurried up the steps to the third floor. _You wouldn't understand…I doubt anyone would._ With that last thought, I put him in my school bag and walked into class, even more depressed than I was that morning.

* * *

I had spent most of class sneaking sweets and trying to plan out what I was going to do about the Zuka Club as well as Kyoya, but Shindo kept popping up into my head and I was getting off task. My wrist was killing me too. Knowing me, I probably broke it, if not sprained it earlier when I fell. I rubbed it gently with a wince. Writing had definitely become a chore and I could visibly see it shaking as I tried to keep a grip on my pencil.

"Definitely sprained." I muttered, pulling my sleeve down to cover up the swelling that was beginning to show.

"Do you have something you need to say, Nishimura-san?"

I jumped slightly as the teacher glared down at me. He'd been out to get me ever since I was late my first day. _Although, correcting his English the other day seemed to make him hate me more._

"N-No, sir."

He smirked. "Then answer the problem on the board."

I glanced at it and, now that we were in math, I noticed it was a pretty advanced calculus problem that I doubted was something we needed to know. He was obviously trying to embarrass me, but I did decent in my college calculus course, so the problem was relatively easy to solve.

"There." I said, putting the chalk down and pinching the bridge of my nose. "Is that all?"

The teacher's mouth was hanging open in shock as I sat down. He stared at me before shaking his head and going on with the lesson. _Idiot._

The bell rang not much later and Honey ran over to my desk, tugging on my sleeve.

"Neh, neh, Ko-kun. Guess what?"

I sighed and let Fu-kun out of my bag as I grabbed a soda.

"Let me guess…Afternoon classes are canceled?"

"Aw! How'd you know?" He pouted.

"Lucky guess. You and Mori-kun can head over to the club. I promised Haruhi-kun that I'd walk with him."

"Okay! Let's go, Takashi!"

Mori nodded and gave me a look. As soon as Honey was out of earshot, he turned to me and spoke.

"You okay?"

I gave him a half-hearted smile. "I didn't get a lot of sleep last night. Too many things on my mind, you know?"

Mori, being Mori, didn't push me into telling him anything, but he ruffled my hair like he always does.

"Don't think too hard."

"Ah. Thanks Mori-kun."

"Takashi."

"Huh?" I stopped in the doorway as he strolled past; a ghost of a smile on his face.

"Call me Takashi."

A long-forgotten flush spread across my cheeks as Mori gave a small wave over his shoulder and picked up Honey. When my poor, worn-out mind finally started functioning again, I almost wish it hadn't. _T-T-Takashi?! T-That can't be right. I mean…why me?! Agh! This is too much With him, Kyoya, Shindo, and Lobelia?! _I put my palm to my head.

"I'm going to die…Or go insane."

Two pairs of arms grabbed me in that instant and pulled me forward where I met eyes with Haruhi. It wasn't hard to guess who had grabbed me, at that point.

"Hey, Haruhi-kun." I muttered with a small wave.

"Uh, Kohaku-kun? Why are you here?"

"I knew the twins were up to something, so I came to help."

Hikaru and Kaoru grinned.

"See, Haruhi?"

"Kohaku-kun came to help!"

"**Now you can go get more coffee!"**

She sighed and pulled me away from the twins.

"Fine, but we better not get yelled at for being late to the club."

"**Okay!"**

They both smiled while Haruhi grumbled about 'rich bastards not being able to buy their own coffee'. This pretty much continued all the way to the store while I zoned out, still worried about what I was going to do about all these problems.

"You okay, Kohaku-kun?"

I tuned back in again at Haruhi's voice and gave her a smile.

"Of course!" I lied. "I was just thinking about someone I ran into this morning on my way to school."

She looked at me, a bit disbelieving, but rolled with it.

"Who'd you run into?"

_**You're going to tell her?**__ Yeah. For all we know, she might know him._

"He said his name was Shindo Yamanaka. He has longer black hair and lots of piercing. Do you know him?"

She thought for a moment before nodding.

"I think so. I believe he went to the same school as me back in middle school."

"Really?"

I must have sounded a bit _too_ excited, because she gave me an odd look.

"Why? Do you like him?"

My face flushed in embarrassment. "N-No! I just didn't expect you to know him."

She rolled her eyes. "Right…Well, don't get your hopes up. He's gay."

"That's how he knew!"

Haruhi jumped, not expecting me to shout, and she nearly dropped her bag of coffee.

"K-Knew what?"

"He knew I was a girl…which is why I'm worried." I mumbled, thinking about Benibara. _She may not be gay, but she might as well be with how observant she is. I doubt I could fool her…unless…_

"Hey, Haruhi-kun. Can you promise me something?"

She raised a brow. "Sure. I guess."

I smirked. "Promise me, no matter what, that you will go along with whatever I say today and I'll answer your questions when we leave today. Okay?"

"Uh, okay."

"Oh, and watch out for that banana peel."

She looked at me, confused. "What banana pe- Ack!"

I couldn't help but chuckle as she fell and a pair of hands saved both her and the coffee from eating pavement.

"Are you alright?" Benibara said. "It'd be such a pity to damage that cute face…young maiden."

Haruhi looked up at her, even more confused than she was a few seconds ago.

"Uh…what?"

She glanced at me and I smiled. "I told you to watch out for that banana peel."

"Thanks senpai." She said sarcastically.

"Glad I could help. Now if you'll excuse me-"

"Hold it!"

I froze. _Damn, I thought I could get away with that. Guess not. _With a sigh, I turned my head around.

"Y-Yes?"

Suddenly Benibara was in my face and I grit my teeth against the pain as she grabbed my wrists.

"You…Are also a young maiden?"

She seemed to be unsure and a little piece of me was…upset. But I had to keep the show rolling.

"I-I don't know what-"

"The large eyes and long delicate fingers, but you also have broad shoulders and a masculine face. I seem to be…dare I say it…_lost_ as to what you are._That's it. I'm done._ "I'm a guy. _Gay_, but still one hundred percent male."

She dropped my hands as though she was burned and Haruhi blinked in confusion until I gave her a wink. She rolled her eyes again, but nodded and walked over towards me as I massaged my abused wrist, unnoticed.

"Kohaku-kun is right. I don't know who you are, but isn't it a bit rude to be going around and accusing guys to be girls?" She said, keeping to her promise.

Benibara seemed surprised at this, before she sighed dramatically and pulled Haruhi close to her.

"Oh my lovely, maiden, where are my manners? I am Benio Amakusa. Now, would you happen to know where Music Room 3 is?"

"Well yes, but-"

"Wonderful!" Benibara cut her off. "Lead the way then."

Haruhi sighed, having given up in fighting her and turned towards me, only to find me tied up and gagged as Benibara started dragging me towards the school doors.

Personally, I don't even know how I ended up in this mess. One minute I was watching Haruhi's struggles in amusement and the next, I was like this. Fu-kun, the lucky rat, managed to escape and had already ran towards the music room. _And I doubt it was to get help. Well, let's hope there's an elevator in this school, because I don't know if I'll live should we take the stairs._ I paled at the thought and tried to untie the ropes, holding back tears as my wrist ached unbearably.

"Uh, could you untie Kohaku-senpai? I don't think we should drag him up these stairs."

Haruhi's voice never sounded so heavenly.

"Hmph, fine." She untied me and I immediately took off running, waving back at Haruhi.

"S-Sorry, Haru-chan! I'll see you in the club room!"

"Ah! Kohaku-kun!"

I winced as her angry voice followed me up the stairs and down the hall. _I'm really sorry for this, Haruhi, but that girl's crazy!_

* * *

The doors to the Host Club opened as usual despite the fact that two of the hosts were missing. Kyoya, as much as he wanted to, did not add this to either of their debts since the twins were the ones who decided to send them out to get coffee in the first place. Other than that, everything else seemed to be going as usual.

Today's theme was knights, after all, and Tamaki was getting really into it. He took the hands of one of his customers and kissed her knuckled, speaking softly, but clearly.

"Ah, princess. Even if the world ends, I wish to be your knight, protecting you with all my life."

"Tamaki-sama~" She swooned.

"Oh, how gorgeous! A knight's armor looks perfect on Tamaki-sama!" Another girl exclaimed.

"The Hitachiin brothers look marvelous too!"

"I'd like Mori-kun to protect me!"

The girls continued to praise the hosts, when Honey noticed Mori glancing at the door. Guessing what was wrong, Honey turned towards Mori and held his hand.

"Don't worry, Takashi. I'm sure Ko-kun will be here soon."

"That's not it."

Mori walked to the door and opened it, allowing a swift blur of white to run in and burry itself in Kyoya's school bag. The whole club went over, a bit confused and Kyoya pulled Fu-kun out by his scruff, setting him down on the table as he scrambled around.

"Neh, Takashi. What's wrong with Fu-kun?" Honey asked innocently.

Mori picked up F-kun and began to calm him down.

"Scared."

The twins glanced at each other and then gave the ferret a glance.

"But if Fu-kun is here…"

"…then where is Kohaku-kun?"

"Haru-chan too!" Honey exclaimed, which had Tamaki freaking out.

"My darling son and daughter are missing?! Quick Kyoya! Call us a search and rescue team!"

Kyoya pushed up his glasses. "I hardly see that as necessary."

Tamaki grew even more frantic and held Kyoya by his shoulders, shaking him.

"But what if something happened o them?! They could've been kidnapped or worse!"

"You're overreacting."

The twins smirked, seeing their chance to mess with Tamaki.

"Yeah, boss. Besides…"

"…aren't you supposed to be…"

"…**a knight?"**

"Yeah! Go save them like a prince, Tama-chan!"

Honey smiled, holding his sword up triumphantly. Tamaki did the same and shouted out, "You're right, men! I shall go out and save my darling Haruhi-"

"**And Kohaku-kun."** The twins interjected.

"-and protect them with my life!"

The twins turned towards each other and shrugged as a girl nearby spoke out.

"Is that so? But isn't 'to protect with my life' quite a selfish vow?"

Tamaki paused in his conquest to save Haruhi and Kohaku, and stepped up to the two ladies who were sitting on one of the couches.

"It can't be helped, Suzuran-chan. Men are lowly creatures who value their pride above all. They can't protect themselves, and yet they believe women owe them something for it." The second girl said as the other complimented her. Tamaki bowed, always the gentleman, and questioned them.

"That's a rather strict view. What kind of vow would you prefer?"

The girl went to answer, when the door was slammed open and Kohaku stood there gasping for air.

"R-Run…" She looked up, face pale as she continued. "A devil…A d-devil is c-c-coming."

Her eyes quickly scanned the room before footsteps were heard behind her and her eyes widened. Fu-kun jumped out of Mori's arms and she scooped him up before sliding across the marble floor and hiding behind Honey and Mori's couch. Peeking over the top, she stuttered out, I-I'm not here. Okay?"

The hosts slowly nodded, not sure what was going on until they spotted the so-called 'devil' standing in the doorway with a hand on Haruhi's shoulder.

"You were speaking of vows earlier?" Benibara said. "Well, I would never leave her alone. If we fight, we fight together. If fate decrees, let's die in each other's arms."

"Haru-" Tamaki started out, but was interrupted as Benibara bowed and kissed the back of Haruhi's hand.

"I swear never to leave your side, even after my final breath."

The guests were blushing in shock at seeing a 'supposed' love between two 'boys', while Tamaki was freaking out at seeing anyone, especially this 'man', touching his darling Haruhi.

"What?!"

The two girls from earlier walked over to Benibara as Kohaku peeked over the couch again, with Fu-kun hanging onto her head.

"She's a demon."

The other hosts heard her, but Tamaki was a bit occupied.

"You're late Benibara-sama."

"What a troublemaker you are, and where'd you find somebody so cute?"

The three girls swarmed Haruhi quickly and Tamaki grew more and more crazed.

"I found her outside with a white-haired barbarian." Kohaku flinched and ducked lower behind the couch. "Even with her disguise, I knew right away. Look at there bright female eyes."

"Really, such potential! She'll shine when polished."

"Her skin is flawless!"

Kohaku suddenly realized something and hurriedly handed Fu-kun off, running towards Tamaki as he went to convince Benibara that Haruhi was a male.

"Wait! You're mistaken! This is definitely a guy!"

"Hand's off, lowlife!"

_Smack!_

The room went dead quiet as Tamaki stared up from the ground at Kohaku, who had just been punched in the face.

"K-Ko-chan?" Honey's quiet voice broke the silence and all eyes turned to the host, who still had her head down.

Mori took a step forward but Kohaku held up her hand, stopping him, before bringing it up to her face and lifting her head. The complete and utter calmness that showed on her face sent shivers up the spines of anyone and everyone in the room. She walked up to Benibara and gazed at her as she struggled to keep face under Kohaku's stare.

"I-It's your fault you know." She said with as much confidence as she could muster. "You shouldn't have interfered."

"Is that so?" Kohaku stated calmly. "Well then, since you're disguised as a male and want male and female equality, I should treat you as such, yes?"

Kohaku's fist swung out, but just before it made contact with Benibara's nose, it stopped.

"You see, Benibara-san, if you want your equal rights…" Kohaku lowered her fist and glared at the Lobelia student. "Then you need to be prepared to accept _everything_ that comes with it."

With that, Kohaku turned and walked into the kitchen, the door closing softly behind her, and the group turned towards Benibara with anger.

"Hmph." Benibara said with fake confidence. "They're dumber than I thought. A light-headed group, lacking history, and filled with street trash."

"Who are you?" Tamaki asked as he got up from the ground. "You're not from Ouran."

"That's right!" Benibara loosened her tie as her and the other two girls removed the Ouran uniforms to reveal another uniform underneath. "Saint Lobelia Academy, second year! Benio Amakusa!"

"Second year! Chizuru Maihara!"

"First year! Hinaka Tsuwabuki!"

"**We're the Saint Lobelia Women's Academy's 'White Lily Club'! Otherwise known as the Zuka Club!"**

The twins, distracted for the moment, started laughing and clutching their stomachs as Tamaki did the opposite and gawked. He other hosts though, were glancing at the closed door to the kitchen. They wanted to go in, but they wondered what they would do once they did.

Mori, for instance, was silent. No one but Honey could really tell how worried he was, but if he were to move, he knew he would do something uncharacteristically clumsy. That, and he mentally questioned if checking in on Kohaku would help or if she would even respond. He, personally, had never seen her that way before and he doubted anyone else had as well. Just then, he spotted Haruhi making her way to the kitchen with Fu-kun, and he finally turned away from the door. _Help her, Haruhi._

* * *

To say I was upset or angry was an understatement. I was absolutely _livid_ but, used to having many siblings who pissed me off daily, I had quickly cooled down. If anything, I was just tired and frustrated at this point. I agree that it was my fault I had gotten hit though. Had I remembered what was supposed to happen a bit sooner, I may have been able to block the punch but I had so many other things running through my head that I had been easily sidetracked. Even now, as I placed a wet cloth over my eyes and leaned against the wall, I was still thinking.

_God_ how I hate thinking. I mean, it's okay when I need to think, like in school or to solve some problem, but it was often that my mind just couldn't…_stop_. I wouldn't even be thinking about anything in particular. It would just jump around from subject to subject. _I wonder if I should've punched her? How would the Host Club react if I did?…This cloth feels nice. She probably gave me a black eye though…Ah, Mori wants me to call him Takashi now…What should I do about Kyoya?_

I suddenly heard the door click open and closed. The footsteps were soft and, judging from the fact Fu-kun had just crawled on my lap, I guessed that it was Haruhi probably to put away the coffee we'd bought. Sure enough, I head the cupboards being opened and the small clatters as she put the coffee away. Lifting up the edge of the wet cloth, I glanced over at Haruhi as she frowned and struggled to reach one of the higher shelves. I couldn't help but smile and I headed over to help, taking the coffee from her and reaching up to put it on the shelf.

"You looked like you could use some help, Haru-chan."

She turned towards me and winced. "Thanks…Wow. She really did a number on you, huh?"

I felt Haruhi's fingers gently press under my eye and I winced.

"Is it as bad as it feels?" I asked, handing a coffee container to Fu-kun as he reached down from the top shelf.

"Actually, I think it's pretty bad. You definitely have a black eye. Do you want some ice for it?"

I nodded. "Yeah, actually. I was too ticked off to find any so I just used a wet cloth."

"At least you're starting to sound like yourself again."

I turned around to stare at her back as she riffled through the freezer.

"What do you mean?"

She turned around with a bag full of ice and placed it against my face until I went to hold it myself.

"You've been acting weird all day. Even the others know something's wrong. I know you didn't get any sleep last night, but is there anything else bothering you?"

I bit my lip and debated on whether to not to tell her. Then, I remembered our promise we made earlier.

"I promise I'll tell you everything when we leave, Haru-chan."

I smiled and she sighed as Fu-kun jumped from the top shelf and landed on my head.

"Agh! Fu-kun!"

We all laughed as I scolded Fu-kun and then we finished making the coffee; Haruhi taking the tray so I could keep holding the ice to my eye.

"You ready, Kohaku-kun?"

"Yup, but you better keep those Lobelia girls away from me of I'm not going to be the only one with a black eye."

I smirked while she shook her head. "Just try not to get us into more debt."

"No promises!" I said as we walked out.

The hosts had already changed back into their uniforms and Kyoya must have dismissed the guests a while ago seeing how Benibara wasn't being mauled by my fans for hitting me. Fan-girls can be pretty crazy. The twins were off playing a video game on the couch and Kyoya, Mori, and Honey were standing too the side as Benibara threatened them.

"I don't care if your president is half-European or something, using your superficial looks to spread false love and play with pure female hearts is a complete degradation of women! Indulging your greed in the name of 'club activities' and involving a delicate female flower? Unforgivable!"

"Huh? What's she talking about, Kohaku-kun?"

I sighed. "Don't mind her, Haru-chan. She's just trying to force her feminist opinions on a group of guys who could probably care less. Besides, she's just like a female version of Tamaki running a club _very_ similar to what we're running."

Benibara's gaze shifted to me angrily as Haruhi 'oh'-ed in understanding and I gazed back at her with a smirk.

"Something wrong, Benibara-san? The way I see it, both our clubs' purpose is to make women happy. If there's something wrong with that statement, _please_, correct me."

My eyes narrowed at her and she was taken aback, not wanting to cross me again but also wanting to make some sort of comeback.

The best she could do was, "I-I will have the Host Club disbanded immediately!"

Kyoya, this time, spoke from his place over by an unconscious Tamaki.

"I understand your intent…but since our president is out cold from the culture shock, can you come back later?"

"Um, Tama-chan is sleepy right now." Honey said as he tucked in Tamaki's Kuma-chan next to him.

"Then slap him awake!"

"My, so violent. Are you sure _you_ aren't the barbarians in this picture?" I said, taking a seat in a chair and sipping a cup of tea as Haruhi approached the fuming Benibara.

"Um…I made some coffee. Would you like some?"

Already knowing what was going to happen here, I ignored the drama as Honey and Mori walked up to me.

"Are you feeling better now, Ko-kun? You were all scary before when the mean person hit you. Takashi and I were worried."

I smiled and ruffled his hair, being careful not to let it show how much that simple movement hurt my wrist.

"Yup. I feel a lot better now, Honey-kun. Sorry if I scared you."

He smiled back and shook his head. "It's okay, Ko-kun! Does your face hurt a lot?"

I lowered the ice and shook my head. "Not really. I'm really strong too, so it doesn't hurt."

"How strong, Ko-kun?"

My eyes widened and I leaned over towards him, speaking softly so only he could hear.

"You wanna know how strong?" He nodded and I leaned closer. "I'll tell you, but you have to promise not to tell anyone, okay?"

"Uh-huh! Uh-huh! I won't tell!"

"Okay. I'm as strong as…" I trailed off, building up the suspense as Honey bounced up and down, eagerly awaiting my answer. "Kyoya-kun and Takashi-kun _combined_!"

Honey's eyes widened, either from what I said or from me calling Mori 'Takashi', as he looked between the two hosts; turning back to me moments later.

"Really?!"

I nodded. "You bet! And you know what? Since you were so worried about me, if you bring me my school bag, I'll let you have some of the candies I brought with me today."

"Okay! Stay here, Takashi!"

I smiled as Honey bounded off in search of my school bag.

"What did you tell him?" Mori's deep voice responded from next to me.

"Hm? Oh. He asked how strong I was." I stopped there and watched Mori scrunch up his brows slightly, waiting for an actual answer to his question. "Aha, sorry. I just wanted to see what you'd do if I stopped. Anyway, I told him that I was as strong as-"

"Neh, Ko-kun! I found it!"

"Guess you'll have to wait a while, Takashi-kun."

He almost frowned, but gave a slight smirk when I said his first name.

"Ah."

Taking my bag from Honey, I pulled out my last soda and all the snacks I had left, and placed them all on the table.

"Pick whatever you want, Honey-kun. You too, if you want some, Takashi-kun."

Honey cheered and began grabbing snack after snack off the table while Mori declined and settled for just watching him. I finally glanced back at the others to see how Haruhi was doing just as Benibara pulled her away from tending Tamaki's burned finger.

"I cannot keep a lady at this club, knowing its current state! I will start the transfer process immediately and welcome her into the Zuka Club!"

Everyone stood around shocked, but I just yawned and continued watching, not amused in the slightest. _Maybe it's because I'm so tired. I'm already acting like a jerk._

"W-Wait a second!" Haruhi called out. "There seems to be some misunderstanding…like the idea of the Host Club having a shallow history."

The twins popped up. "It _is_ shallow. This institution is only two years old."

"Tono created it when he started high school."

Only slightly perturbed, Haruhi brought up something else.

"And I've never heard of Tamaki-senpai being half-European."

Honey took this chance to rain on her parade as well.

"No. Tama-chan _is_ half-European. His parents are French and Japanese."

"You, er, say greed, but it's not like we're taking fees from the customers."

"It's more like a point system based on the amount the girls buy from our club auction site." Kyoya said, sliding his laptop around for Haruhi's viewing pleasure. "Look, Haruhi-kun. Your used mechanical pencil has gone for 24,305 yen."

"What?! I thought I lost that pencil! I never heard of any of this! I didn't know we were taking money!"

_If you think about it though, I'm sure the Zuka Club takes money from their own customers for their shows. They have to have _some_ profit in all of this or else they wouldn't be able to pay for their own fees._

"Did you think we went providing this service for free?" Kyoya questioned. "We have event fees, costume fees, the customers' beverages…The profit is virtually nonexistent."

I frowned thoughtfully. _Then what is all that stuff he writes in his black book? It can't be just student information and profits if we have none._

"That doesn't give you a right to sell people's belongings!"

"**It's not stealing. We found it on the ground."**

Haruhi glared at the twins, who sipped their coffee innocently, when Tamaki hurried over and shoved his bear-topped pencil in her face.

"Wah! I'm sorry, Haruhi! We weren't hiding it from you! Here, I'll give you _my _pencil!"

"I don't want it." She sighed.

"And I'll reveal the secret of my birth!"

"That was the one revelation I don't really care about."

Tamaki, on cue, went to his corner and I packed up my things to leave with Haruhi just as my cell went off. The hosts, finding it unexpected that I would even own a cell phone, turned to me as I answered it.

"Nishimura."

"H-Hey! It's, uh, Kintaro."

I frowned at my manager's nervous tone. _This doesn't sound good. He's only seen me angry and sleep deprived once, so it's got to be pretty bad if he's already nervous._

"Is there something you need?" I asked, still trying to be professional as I stood from my seat. "The deadline isn't until two weeks from now."

"Y-Yeah, about that…T-The boss wants to shorten the deadline."

I stiffened and turned towards the window so the hosts couldn't see my face. I'd rather they didn't have to see me lose face if it could be avoided.

"Kohaku-kun?" Haruhi cautiously spoke, but I held up a hand for her to wait.

"Say. That. Again." My aura turned darker by the second as my manager finally spit out the next sentence in a rush.

"T-T-The deadline's been moved up t-to this Thursday!"

I pulled the phone away from my ear and turned towards the hosts who all flinched as I gave them a smile full of malice.

"Kyoya-kun. What is the least expensive thing in this room?"

He pushed up his glasses, not even bothering to ask me why, and flipped through his notebook for a second; stopping on a page before speaking.

"That would be the 200,000 yen, hand-crafted table you were sitting at."

I smiled appreciatively. "Thank you."

Turning towards said table, I punched it; splitting it clean in two before letting out a long breath and replacing the phone to my ear.

"Three days. You were saying I have _three days_ to write three chapters I haven't even started on yet!" My voice rose with every word and I could practically hear my manager shaking on the other end of the phone.

"I-I'm sorry! I tried to convince him that it was impossible, b-but he was a fan a-a-and…I couldn't say 'no'! P-Please don't kill me, Nishimura-sensei!" **(AN: as far as I know, that what all authors are called in Japan. If I'm wrong…oh well)**

"Kill you?" I chuckled darkly. "Why, I would _never_ kill you, Kintaro-san."

"Nishimura-sensei…"

"_No._ I would skin you alive and then boil you in hot oil! 'Can't say no' my ass!"

The hosts flinched at my loud voice as well as my choice in language, but I could care less right now.

"I-I'm really sorry! I'll t-talk to him! I-I'll tell him it's impossible and-"

I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose, picking up my ice and placing it back on my eye as a headache started to form.

"Shut up. I'll do it."

"W-What?"

"I said, 'I'll do it'. I don't know _how_, with school and my club, but Ill make sure it's done by Thursday."

"Oh thank you! I-It won't happen again! I promise!"

"I want extra pay for this, though, and more vacation days."

"Yes! Of course! I'll see you then, Nishimura-sensei!"

"Right."

I sighed again and hung up, turning back to the hosts who all stared back in some form of shock and fear; aside from the usual blank faced duo.

"Add the table to my debt, Kyoya-kun. Haruhi-kun, I suggest we go before I break anything else."

She hastily nodded and we walked out, her giving the Host Club one last glare. _My life's going to suck the next three days._

* * *

As soon as the door closed, both the Zuka Club and the two angered hosts having left, the rest of the hosts grew quiet. Haruhi was definitely mad at them and the way Kohaku acted while on the phone had scared most of them.

"T-That was scary." Honey said, clutching his bunny close to his chest.

"**No kidding."**The twins said, simultaneously.

"Who would've known…

"…that Kohaku-kun…"

"**Could be worse than Kyoya-senpai?"**

Kyoya pushed up his glasses menacingly. "What is _that_ supposed to mean?"

"**Nothing!"** They called out.

Kyoya smirked and went over to the broken table, writing in his black book.

"He certainly has a temper, although it's only shown on rare occasions apparently."

"Nu-uh. Ko-kun was just having a bad day. He only brings snacks when he's sleepy and then he got his by that mean lady today. I would be cranky too."

"Ah." Mori nodded.

"Then who was…"

"…on the phone?" The twins questioned.

"His manager." Kyoya stated.

"**Manager?"**

"Yes. Kohaku-senpai writes a series and, judging by his conversation, his manager 'couldn't say no' to someone and ended up getting Kohaku's deadline moved up to Thursday."

"Poor Ko-kun." Honey said sadly, just before the twins brought up another point.

"What about Haruhi?"

"Telling her the truth was like throwing gas on the fire!"

"The truth is the truth, and that's that." Kyoya said wisely.

"We probably shouldn't have sold the mechanical pencil."

"It could've been an heirloom from her mother."

"No, it had an electronics store logo on it."

"Think about it everyone." Tamaki finally spoke. "Haruhi acts indifferent, but she seems to have a preference for male clothing. On top of that, she's said certain things in the past…'I kind of enjoy having girls hassle over me'. 'Guess I'm a little _bent_ that way'."

Tamaki walked over to the window solemnly, placing his hand against the glass as he continued.

"Why didn't I realize it before? Rather than being at the Host Club…maybe she's better off in the Zuka Club."

The hosts thought about it for a moment and they all came to the same realization.

"Wah! Haru-chan is going to transfer!" Honey cried.

"**What do we do? With her brains, Haruhi will have no problem passing Lobelia's scholarship exam!"**

"Lobelia may even be willing to take care of her Host Club debt." Kyoya, so _elegantly_, stated.

"Calm down, everyone, and listen to me! I have a great plan!"

Tamaki gathered everyone up and began telling them about his ingenious plan, not knowing that Haruhi wasn't even considering leaving the club. She was just trying to get to a supermarket sale and keep Kohaku from adding to either of their debts.

* * *

Trying to ignore the pain in my wrist and head as I carried my own groceries from the sale we went to, I glanced at Haruhi.

"So, fire away."

"Huh?"

I rolled my eyes. "You have questions, yes? Now's the time to ask."

"Hm…" She thought for a minute and I patiently waited. "Why did you pretend to be gay? Did you know that the Zuka Club was going to be here? And how'd you know about the banana peel?"

I winced. _These were the questions I was hoping to avoid. __**No, these are the questions you should've expected.**__ Yeah. Guess you're right._

"Funny story about that."

She turned and glared at me, obviously not happy about me hiding things again. I sighed, preparing to tell her the same half-lie I told Tamaki.

"I'm kind of psychic. I know things up to a point and I know the past of certain people. I-I didn't tell you because I don't really like telling people…It's complicated."

I looked down at the ground, expecting her to lecture me for not telling her sooner, but she just sighed.

"Well…that explains a lot."

She didn't say it sarcastically or anything and I was…well, surprised.

"That's it? No, 'Why didn't you tell me? You could've saved me from being pushed off that cliff a few days ago!' or anything?"

She raised a brow at my fake, angry Haruhi voice and gave me a small smile.

"I'm sure you have your own reasons for doing what you did, and didn't, do. Besides, I'm more angry at the Host Club for selling my pencil."

I chuckled. "It's _just_ a pencil, Haru-chan."

"But it wrote so well! I really liked that pencil!"

I laughed as we climbed the stairs up to our apartments. Setting some of my bags on the ground, I pulled out my keys and opened the door with a wince. _I really need to wrap up my wrist and probably ice it too._ _Pus, I'll need some Advil for this headache. Benibara has a good swing._

"Go ahead and put your stuff away, Haru-chan, then come on over since I know you have more questions you want answered. I just need to get my work started."

"Okay. I'll be over in a minute."

I gave her a brief nod and gathered my bags with a grimace. Kicking the door closed behind me with my foot, I put away my groceries and grabbed an ice pack from my freezer before going to wrap my wrist.

"Fu-kun! Can you grab me a soda from the fridge?"

_**Why should I? You glared at me this morning!**_

"And you left me hog-tied with a crazy feminist! Ugh, just get me a soda and I'll peel a banana for you."

_**Fine.**_ I finished wrapping my hand and taking my Advil for the headache, checking the bruise on my other wrist from my fight with Kyoya to see how it was healing. _It's fine. Doesn't hurt nearly as much as my other wrist at this point, so it's practically invisible to me. _Heading to my room, I changed out of my uniform and into a comfortable pair of baggy jeans and a plain white sweater. Grabbing my glasses from off the table in the living room, I sat down and started rereading the chapter I had left off on right when Haruhi knocked on the door.

"Just come in, Haru-chan."

The door opened and before she could say anything, I pointed to where my own shoes were, not taking my gaze off the stack of papers in front of me.

"Put your shoes over by mine and get whatever you want from my kitchen, What's mine is yours."

She nodded and headed into the kitchen, just as Fu-kun hurried out with a bottle of soda. He dragged it to me and I gave him a nod before he dashed back into the kitchen; Haruhi watching this whole exchange with a disbelieving look.

"Did he just…bring you a soda?"

I nodded, flipping over the page I was reading. "Yeah. I told him I would peel a banana for him if he brought me a soda."

She blinked and then shook her head before walking into the kitchen. It didn't take long for her to return, holding a cup of tea, with Fu-kun on her heels dragging a banana. Haruhi took a seat across from me and I opened Fu-kun's banana, putting down what I had finished reading as I did so.

"So…you're psychic?"

I gave her a small grimace at her blunt question. "Sort of. I only know about things involving the Host Club. It's hard to explain."

"Okay…Who were you talking to on the phone before we left?"

"Kintaro-san. My manager. He called to tell me that the deadline for the next three chapters of my series has been moved up to Thursday. He, apparently, just 'couldn't say no' to his boss."

"That sucks."

_Ever so blunt. _"Unbelievably so." I said as I began typing.

"Um, what about those things you said to Benio-san?"

"Hm. Well, I knew from the start that she was only disguised as a male and, being female myself, I could've and probably should've, hit her back. I would've too but, for one thing, not all of the hosts know I'm female, and I'm better than that anyway." I said with a smirk.

"Not all of the hosts?"

"Hold on. One question at a time, Haru-chan. I also told Benibara-san something about equal rights. What I said makes sense too, if you think about it."

"I don't understand."

I tapped my temple, typing with one hand as I did so. "Think a little, Haru-chan. If she actually got her 'equal rights for women', what would that mean? It means there is no separation between men and women, and although I do support some feminist ideas, I don't support all of them. For example, if this happened, people wouldn't open the door for you or push in your chair and if there was a fight…well, men wouldn't have to hold back."

"I guess that makes sense. I never thought of it that way before."

"Then it's good practice for you. Gives you a view from a different perspective lawyer-san."

She playfully shoved me and I chuckled.

"Whatever. Now what about the hosts?"

I fixed my glasses that had been knocked crooked by her shove. "As far as I know, everyone knows except Kyoya-kun and the twins, but you and Tamaki-kun are the only ones who know about the psychic thing."

"Tamaki-senpai?! Wait a minute, why don't Kyoya-senpai and the twins know? I thought they'd be the first to find out. That's what happened with me."

I scratched my head. "Yeah. I thought so too, but I guess the twins are thoroughly convinced I'm gay and Kyoya-kun…" I frowned and rubbed my wrist. "He's too busy looking for other secrets that I'm hiding, so I guess he's completely overlooking the obvious."

"Other things?"

"Just the basic stuff, really." I held up my hand and began counting my fingers. "Things about my family, where I came from, my past, the fact that I'm psychic too. Thanks to that, I know about their pasts and I kind of…use that occasionally-"

"What?!"

I sighed, knowing that this was going to happen sooner or later. "I knew from the start that Mori-kun was silent, so I never pushed him into speaking. I knew Tamaki-kun enjoys being called 'king' or 'father' so I say that to get him out of his corner. I know Honey-kun, although he acts like a child, is also looking to be treated his age sometimes. You should already know about the twins; wanting to be a pair and individuals at the same time. Then there's Kyoya-kun, who wants to prove himself through his own means and is easily distracted by the possibility of gathering another piece of information, no matter how small, as long as it contains something important or useful…If anything, Haruhi-kun, it is the hardest thing for me to do…_Not_ using what I know, to change things, to change _people_…It's…difficult."

"It's a burden, isn't it, senpai?"

I gave a small chuckle and got up to get another soda.

"Yeah, Haruhi-kun. It is the biggest burden I carry…just under the burden my family left behind."

I walked into the kitchen and set my glasses on the counter with a depressed sigh.

"I said too much."

_**That's not true.**_ Fu-kun climbed up to the counter and nuzzled my hand comfortingly._** I think you said just enough.**_

"Thanks, Fu-kun."

I grabbed another soda and a box of Pocky before returning to the living room where Haruhi sat looking guilty. Spotting me, she quickly began apologizing.

"I'm sorry, Kohaku-kun. I-I really shouldn't have brought that up."

I waved it off, putting a Pocky stick in my mouth as I resumed my typing.

"It's not problem, Haru-chan. I've accepted what happened a while ago. Any other questions?"

She seemed a bit reluctant to ask any more, but I waited calmly.

"Why were you so out of it today? And don't just tell me it's because you didn't sleep."

I gave a small smile. "Sounds like you know me pretty well, Haru-chan."

"Well, yeah. We're friends aren't we?"

"You bet. Anyway, I was just a bit worn out today because Kyoya-kun and I had an argument and I couldn't find a way to fix it."

A smirk began to grow on her face and I raised a brow at her confused.

"You wouldn't happen to like Kyoya-senpai, would you?"

"Huh? I don't know what you're talking about." I said, completely serious.

Haruhi rolled her eyes. "Never mind…It's getting a bit late, senpai, so I'm going to head home to start on dinner. Are you going to join us?"

I shook my head as she got up. "No. I'm probably going to be up all night writing this." I gestured to my typewriter and the sleeve of my sweater slipped up, exposing the bandages around my swollen wrist.

"Kohaku-kun."

I flinched at her stern, motherly tone and glanced at her nervously.

"Y-Yeah, Haru-chan?"

"What did you do to your wrist?"

"Both or just this one?" I spit out in a hurry before face palming. "Idiot." I muttered.

"Let me change the question." She said, walking back over to the table and looking down at me angrily. "Kohaku-kun, what happened to your _wrists_?"

"W-Well…They're both a bit…" I swallowed thickly. "bruised."

"Why?"

"U-Uh…remember when I-I said I had an argument w-w-with Kyoya-kun?" _Sorry Kyoya. I think I just threw us both under the bus._

Her face suddenly darkened. "I'm gonna kill him."

Startled at this unknown, protective side of Haruhi, I scrambled up from my place on the floor and grabbed her arm with my bad wrist; since the other was holding me up at the moment.

"D-D-Don't! I-It was my fault, Haruhi-kun!"

I winced and she, unfortunately, saw; her eyes softening as she looked me over.

"You attract too much trouble.:

I gave her a crooked grin and let go of her so she could turn back around.

"S-Sorry."

"So what happened to your other wrist?"

"T-That was when I ran into Shindo-san."

Her face darkened again and I waved my hands, trying to clear up the misunderstanding.

"N-No! Not like that! I, uh, wasn't paying attention this morning and…kind of…mmhmm."

"You what?"

I fidgeted and spoke a little louder. "Nearly got hit by a car."

"Are you serious?!"

"I-I'm sorry! I told you, I had a lot on my mind this morning! A-And look! I-I'm okay!"

"No you're not! You could've been killed!"

_Again_. I thought with a slight wince. "B-But I'm not, see! I just think I sprained my wrist a little."

She suddenly knelt down and hugged me, leaving me a little more than confused. When she _did_ let go, she hit me on the head.

"Ow!"

"Idiot. Pay more attention."

I heard the fear in her voice and I understood why she had hugged me so suddenly.

"Y-You were worried?"

"Of course I was!" I flinched, seeing tears pricking the corner of her eyes. "Sorry, I just…Don't you ever think I wouldn't care about you, Kohaku. You like the sibling I never had."

I gave her a smile. "And you're the crazy, cross-dressing, maniac of a sister I've always wished I had."

"Hey."

She smiled back and then glanced at my wrist.

"You're sure you're okay?"

I looked down at my hand and flexed it, wincing. "I can handle the pain, if that's what you're asking."

She rolled her eyes. "You could probably handle _any_ pain, Kohaku…I think I have a wrist wrap at home somewhere. I'll bring it over after dinner."

"Thanks, _Haruhi_."

Haruhi shook her head at the lack of a suffix behind her name.

"You're so childish, _Kohaku_."

I laughed and waved as she left, before taking a deep breath and staring down my typewriter.

"Three chapters in three days. Definitely not impossible, so it's time to kick some butt." Snapping a Pocky stick in my mouth, I went to work. _Nothing like a good old-fashioned challenge._

* * *

I got no sleep that night and I had wrote certain pages during class that I would need to type up later. Talking to Haruhi had really helped and I could now focus on what I had to write without the fear of Kyoya or Shindo or anything, for that matter, interrupting or influencing my work. At least, that should've been the case if Honey and Mori hadn't dragged me off to the Host Club as soon as school let out. Knowing what they had planned, I was thoroughly against the monstrosity the twins were trying to put me in.

"No way in _hell_!"

"**But senpai!"**

"no! You have about the same amount of chance of getting me in that dress as you do of making Kyoya-kun wear one!"

Just then, Kyoya walked out of the dressing room wearing a frilly, elegant, violet dress and holding a fan. _Crap. I forgot about that._ I glanced back at the twins as identical smirks covered their faces.

"Uh, could I rephrase that?"

"No way, Kohaku-kun." Kaoru spoke from my right while Hikaru spoke from my left.

"Yeah. Kyoya-senpai is wearing one…"

"**So now it's your turn!"**

Needless to say, I ran. I may be a girl, but I am _completely_ against wearing any form of girly clothing. _But they don't know that! So why are they so forceful about this! I'm pretending to be a guy for Pete's sake!_ Looking for somewhere to hide, I had few options. Mori was still in the changing room and none of the other hosts would be willing to help me, so I hid behind the next best thing. Unfortunately, that particular 'thing' was actually a person. The same person I still hadn't found a way of making up with; Kyoya.

"Come out, senpai."

"You can't hide behind Kyoya-senpai forever."

I peeked out with a frown. "I don't have to hide forever. I just need to hide until you run out of time to trap me in that…_thing_."

The twins rolled their eyes. **"It's called a dress, senpai."**

"I don't care _what_ it's called. I'm not wearing it."

They both frowned and I could tell they were trying to come up with a plan, when something…unexpected happened.

"Hikaru-kun, Kaoru-kun. Stop terrorizing our senpai and go get ready. He wasn't here to listen to the plan anyhow." Kyoya calmly stated.

The twins shared a glance then shrugged, heading to their changing room as I slowly came out from behind where Kyoya was sitting. Unsure what to do or say, I stood there for a minute, fidgeting. _I-I think he's making it up to me for the argument before, but…what do _I _do?_

"Is there something you need, Kohaku-kun?"

I blinked at what he called me since he actually said my name in a friendly manner, before a smile lit up my face.

"Nope, but thank you, Kyoya-kun." Ju8st then, I thought of something that could be fun. _Or it could reignite our previous argument, but I'll risk it._ "And Kyoya-kun?"

"Hm."

"I'll tell you something interesting. Just this once."

I could tell I had his full attention and I mentally laughed as he held up his fan to cover the lower portion of his face. _Hiding a smirk, most likely._ Leaning forward with my hands shoved in my pockets, I smiled brightly.

"You look really good in that dress!"

My God, you should've seen the look on his face. Even with the fan covering half of it, I knew he was thoroughly unamused at my little joke, if not a little pissed off. I laughed and stood straight again.

"Come on, Kyoya-kun! I'm not going to give in that easily. That's the way you like it, right? Challenging? Why should I give it to you so easily, when I know how much you want to pry it out of me yourself? I'll give you a hint though…Everyone in the Host Club knows except you and the twins."

I walked over to a table to continue writing my manuscript with a smirk, just barely hearing Kyoya say behind me, "Challenge accepted."

* * *

**(AN: this part is in third point of view, but it focuses on Kyoya. Hope he's not too OOC)**

* * *

_That brat._ Kyoya thought. _Senpai or not, nobody challenges me like that! _Flipping through his notebook, he reached Kohaku's page and wrote down what he had learned.

_He certainly knows me better than I thought. He knew that dangling that piece of information in front of me like that would catch my attention…but to do that so blatantly and then tease me? He's lucky I don't have him shipped out to Africa in a wooden crate! And then the hint the gave me…_

"_Everyone in the Host Club knows except you and the twins."_

Kyoya glared over at Kohaku, not bothering to hide his angered expression behind his fan.

_He knew that would set me off, comparing me to those two idiots…but this gives me a chance. Kohaku made one fatal mistake…He underestimated my information gathering abilities and told me who knows, and that bumbling Tamaki couldn't keep a secret from me if his life depended on it. So, yes, senpai. Challenge accepted. As you said, I will pry out your secrets with my own strength and you better make it worth it._

* * *

**(AN: sorry about all these AN's, but I'm switching to general third person now. I don't want you to be confused)**

* * *

Tamaki had been watching Kohaku and Kyoya's exchange and couldn't help but smile at how they were 'getting along'. Most people wouldn't see it that way, but as said before, Tamaki isn't 'most people'.

"Boss!"

"She's coming!"

Clapping his hands once, Tamaki addressed the group of hosts.

"Alright me! Places!"

Everyone went to their place on, or next to, the couch and Tamaki gave Kohaku a glance.

"Would you mind opening the door for Haruhi and our guests, Kohaku-senpai?"

Looking up from her notebook, Kohaku blinked behind her glasses and nodded, walking to the doors and pulling them open with a bow.

"**Welcome!"** They all stated and the Lobelia girls, plus Haruhi, froze in shock.

"Wha-!"

"Haru-chan! Haru-chan! Look, I'm a princess!"

Honey twirled around in his dress and even Kohaku was having a hard time keeping a straight face.

"What is the meaning of this?! Do you mean to insult our culture?!" Benibara shouted, but Tamaki was prepared for this.

"Insult? Absolutely not! This is all according to plan! A super-secret plan that will make even crying kids smile! The 'Two in One' plan!"

They were in shock once again as Tamaki continued his monologue.

"You protected girls of Lobelia probably won't understand this, but common folk have a weakness for bargains! Haruhi may feel attracted to the Zuka Club, yes. However…if she chooses _our_ club, she'll have brothers _and_ sisters! Two for one! She can enjoy a Zuka Club atmosphere while at the Host Club!"

The twins hurried over to Haruhi with identical smirks.

"How's this, Haruhi?"

"Who's more beautiful, your dad or us?"

Kohaku snorted and bit her bottom lip to keep from laughing as Haruhi still stood there in shock.

"Haru-chan! Haru-chan!" Honey called out as he pouted cutely. "You can call be 'big sis'."

Benibara took a step forward, angry and red faced at this outrage.

"The you maiden will not be fooled by a drag act! Cease this idiotic-"

"Pft!" Kohaku couldn't hold it in anymore.

"Ahaha!" And neither could Haruhi. "I-I knew you guys were w-weird, but…this…is the limit! Ahaha!"

"I-It's so illogical! Ahaha! I s-saw them earlier too…a-and I still c-can't stop laughing!"

Kohaku and Haruhi slid to the floor clutching their stomachs as tear pricked the corners of their eyes.

"**Is it that funny?"** The twins and Honey asked, throwing Kohaku and Haruhi into another fit of laughter.

Seeing their chance, the three of them assaulted Kohaku and Haruhi asking the two of them to call them 'big sis' or 'little sis'. Finally, having their fill of fun, they gave Haruhi and Kohaku a break to catch their breaths. At least, they gave Haruhi a chance. Kohaku only had a second before she ended up laughing harder when the twins held up Fu-kun in a little pink dress and a small, ferret-sized blonde wig. Haruhi gave another quiet chuckle before standing in front of Benibara.

"I'm sorry. It takes all kinds, and I think your unique way of looking at life is…interesting, but I have a dream I want to fulfill. That's why I came to Ouran. I never had any intention of leaving. I couldn't leave without paying off my debt anyway." She glanced at Kohaku who was till pointing and laughing at Fu-kun. "Anyway, I couldn't leave Kohaku here with you guys either, He's already a bit odd."

The hosts were either cheering or sighing because they dressed up for nothing, when Tamaki finally realized something.

"If you never meant to leave, why'd you get all upset yesterday?"

"You sold my belongings! Of course I was mad! Besides, I had to get to the supermarket for a sale and needed to get Kohaku out of here before he broke anything else."

The hosts all turned towards Kohaku, who was slowly picking herself off the floor with a few chuckles whenever she spotted someone in a dress. They all shivered when they remembered the state the table was in after dealing with Kohaku's small release of anger. Just then, Benibara turned around with the other two Lobelia students.

"I'm not giving up, young maiden! I swear to you…I will rescue you and destroy the Host Club!" Walking past the couch where Kohaku had sat at, she paused in her step and pointed at the back of Kohaku's head. "And I will extract my revenge on you as well!"

Kohaku didn't even acknowledge Benibara's presence and she stomped out in a fury, slipping on a banana peel the moment the Host Club doors began to close.

"Well…"

"That was weird."

The two twins took off their wigs and headed to the changing rooms with everyone else aside from Tamaki, Kohaku, Haruhi, and Kyoya, who had just walked out of said rooms.

"Tamaki, I suggest you change out of your outfit.

"Okay!" He bounded off, happy that Haruhi was staying, while Kyoya stood over by her.

"So how'd they get you in that dress, senpai?"

Kyoya pushed up his glasses, the light flashing off them menacingly and Haruhi held up her hands in surrender, sweat dropping. "Right. I won't ask."

"That would be best. Although, I have a question for you." Haruhi raised a brow. "Kohaku-senpai has given me a 'hint' as to what he is hiding in exchange for keeping him out of a dress this afternoon. He told me that 'everyone in the Host Club knows' except the twins and I. Might you inform me as to what it is he's talking about?"

Haruhi smiled and walked towards Kohaku on the couch.

"I'm not going to tell you, senpai. It's his secret and I doubt any of the other hosts will tell you too. If Kohaku told you this, then I believe he has put a lot of trust in the other hosts. He's like you in the fact that he really thinks things like this through. I don't think he would risk telling the other hosts his secret without knowing that they would keep it a secret. I'll tell you this though…it's pretty obvious."

Kyoya nearly snapped his pencil with the force he was exerting on it, but he calmed down and wrote Haruhi's hint in his notebook for later reference when he suddenly heard her chuckle.

"So that's why Kohaku didn't respond to Benio-san."

Curious, Kyoya walked over and saw Kohaku completely asleep, her glasses slightly askew on her face as her headphones dangled around her neck playing fairly loud music.

"_What if I wanted to break_

_Laugh it all off in your face_

_What would you do? (Oh, oh)_

_What if I fell to the floor_

_Couldn't take all this anymore_

_What would you do, do, do?_

_Come break me down_

_Bury me, bury me_

_I am finished with you_

_What if I wanted to fight_

_Beg for the rest of my life_

_What would you do?_

_You say you wanted more_

_What are you waiting for?_

_I'm not running from you (from you)_

_Come break me down_

_Bury me, bury me_

_I am finished with you_

_Look in my eyes_

_You're killing me, killing me_

_All I wanted was you_

_I tried to be someone else_

_But nothing seemed to change_

_I know now, this is who I really am inside._

_Finally found myself_

_Fighting for a chance._

_I know now, this is who I really am._

_Ah, ah_

_Oh, oh_

_Ah, ah_

_Come break me down_

_Bury me, bury me_

_I am finished with you, you, you._

_Look in my eyes_

_You're killing me, killing me_

_All I wanted was you_

_Come break me down (bury me, bury me)_

_Break me down (bury me, bury me)_

_Break me down (bury me, bury me)_

_(You say you wanted more)_

_What if I wanted to break...?_

_(What are you waiting for?)_

_Bury me, bury me_

_(I'm not running from you)_

_What if I_

_What if I_

_What if I_

_What if I_

_Bury me, bury me"_

Kyoya raised a brow at the song as Haruhi turned off her ipod and removed her glasses, setting them on the table.

"Interesting choice of music to listen to while sleeping." He murmured.

Haruhi nodded. "Yeah. He told me once before that, because he came from a big family, it's hard for him to do anything without some sort of noise going on in the background now that they're gone. I think this song is his favorite too. I hear him playing it all the time."

Kyoya wrote that down in his notebook, not expecting Haruhi to tell him something so personal about Kohaku after he just tried to get information from her.

"I feel bad for not being able to help him." He stopped writing and listened to Haruhi as she went on. "He hasn't slept the past two days and with everything that's been going on, I'm surprised he can deal with it all as well as he does. In a way, he's kind of like you and Tamaki-senpai."

Kyoya raised a brow at that. "I agree with him being similar to Tamaki, but I do not appreciate being compared to him."

"Really, senpai?" Haruhi questioned, disbelieving. "He's more like you than you think."

She sighed and picked up the notebook Kohaku had been writing in. With every page she turned, her eyes grew wider.

"You've got to be kidding."

"Something wrong?"

Haruhi shook her head in exasperation, putting down the notebook.

"Yeah, actually. Kohaku hurt his wrist yesterday. I told him to use the wrist wrap I gave him and to ice it, but it doesn't look like he did…and with all the writing he did today…He's really got to start telling us when something's wrong."

"Which wrist?"

Haruhi looked at Kyoya in surprise and he rolled his eyes, kneeling down in front of Kohaku.

"Don't think I'm doing this because I want to." He told Haruhi. "It could simply effect the club if his injury became too severe."

"It's the right one."

He nodded and carefully looked over the wrist, being sure not to wake Kohaku up.

"He is right-handed, correct?"

Haruhi nodded. "That's why I was worried. At home, he types on a typewriter so it's not that bad, I would think."

Kyoya stood up. "Correct, but it would still cause some irritation. Did he wear the wrap at home?"

"Yeah, from what I saw. I just don't get why he wouldn't wear it here."

"He doesn't want others to worry."

"Huh?" Haruhi gave Kyoya an odd look, questioning how he would know. In response, he pushed up his glasses.

"You said so yourself, did you not? He is similar to Tamaki and I, so it is natural for him to want to hide what he is feeling. Be it because he wishes to appear strong and wants to keep his personal things personal, or he is simply being an idiot and doesn't want others to worry. He covered his black eye with make-up as well, which is odd in and of itself since he appears to despise such things."

"So you agree that he is similar to you?" Haruhi smirked.

Realizing his mistake, Kyoya sighed. "In some ways, yes, but he is more like that idiot than me."

"Uh-huh. Whatever you say, senpai." She rolled her eyes and glanced over at the changing rooms, knowing that the hosts will be coming out soon. "So how's his wrist?"

"Debatable. For now, I will assume it is a very bad sprain. It's hard to tell without waking him up and he will probably make it worse until he finishes his manuscript."

"So what do we do? We can't just tell him to stop writing. It's his job."

Haruhi was very concerned about Kohaku possibly having hurt her wrist more than she thought.

"Our best bet is to make sure he wears the wrap as much as possible and that he puts ice on it and rests it often. With his deadline being tomorrow though, I doubt he will waste the time he could spend writing with rest."

Haruhi sighed. "Well, I'll try to convince him while he's at home."

Kyoya nodded. "I will inform Mori-senpai as well, to keep him wearing the wrap during class. I expect you to convince him to get it x-rayed once he's reached the deadline."

"But how will he pay for it? He as about as much spending money as I do. He'll never agree to it, especially when he's just like you when it comes to money."

Kyoya sighed. "Take him to one of my family's hospitals. I will make sure his bill is taken care of."

"You'd really do that for him, senpai?"

Kyoya pushed up his glasses. "Of course. I'll just be sure to add the money to his debt."

_Right. How could I expect him to do something nice for someone._ Haruhi thought just as the rest of the hosts came out of the changing room; Tamaki tackling her in a hug while the twins went over to Kohaku with smirks and sharpies, to draw on her face. They were properly stopped before any damage could be done and Tamaki was sent to his corner while everyone else did what they normally did; eat cake, stay silent and watchful, and wrote down information.

Little did any of them know that Kohaku had, indeed, broke her wrist the day before and that her hospital bill would _not_ be added to her Host Club debt. Why? Well, even Kyoya did not know why he hadn't decided to add the money to her debt. Perhaps it was because of what Haruhi said about them being similar. Or maybe it was because, somewhere inside him, he felt something towards Kohaku; be it friendship, or something more. Either way, Kyoya was determined to convince himself otherwise and, therefore, told himself he only did it to further 'make up' to her. If he didn't hurry and realize it soon though, it's possible Kohaku will be stolen away from him, or even be taken by the least suspected person that no one would expect to make a move. After all, Kohaku always seems to attract trouble.


	10. Chapter 8

**Okay, here it is! the long awaited chapter 8 ^^ i hope you guys like it and, I have a few questions for you guys too.**

**1: I put the song at the bottom for this chapter and only put the name and the artist. a couple of people have informed me that they think the songs take away from the mood, so I'm debating on either just quoting a small portion of the song in the beginning or just putting the song title and author at the end. I just want to know if you think i should do either one of these or if I should just keep putting songs in like I normally do. The majority wins in this case.**

**I'll put the second question at the bottom since it has to do with someone from this chapter. But thank you to all you people who review! You all seriously make my day and I've been having some pretty rough days lately, so they're definitely appreciated.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the song (titled at the end), nor do I own any ouran characters. I DO however own my own characters. especially Kohaku and silly little Fu-kun. so no stealing :P**

* * *

My God it was cold! I snuggled deeper under my blankets and pulled Fu-kun closer to me. One glance at the clock told me it was _way_ to early to be up on a Sunday. _6:45am. You've got to be kidding me. I'm probably becoming an insomniac at this point. I've only been asleep for about two hours._

"Stupid manager…making the deadline today."

Now, don't think anything crazy. It had been about two months since my last deadline, and the discovery of my _broken_ wrist. Unknown to me at the time, it _had_ just been a sprain but I had made it worse by not caring for it properly. Haruhi was about to break my head open when the doctor told us.

I never even wanted to go to the hospital in the first place, but it was either that or Haruhi said Kyoya was going to look at it. Obviously, I chose to go to the hospital and I think Kyoya's father must've owned it since I never got the bill. _Knowing him, he probably just added it to my Host Club debt. What is it Haruhi says all the time?…Oh, that's right-_

"Rich bastard." I muttered, rolling onto my back and lying Fu-kun across my eyes.

He shifted and stretched with a yawn before slumping back down. _**You talking about glasses?**_ I hummed an affirmative and Fu-kun gave a short chuckle. _**Heh, that's what I thought.**_ I groaned again and rolled onto my side, tucking Fu-kun under my chin. I doubted that I could fall back asleep, but there was no harm in trying. Of course, that's what I was planning, but someone apparently had other plans.

Someone was ringing my doorbell. I ignored it, but whoever it was continued to ring it over and over. Grabbing a shoe from my closet-without leaving the comfort of my bed-I opened the sliding door to my room and chucked it down the hall. It hit the door with a loud '_thud_', silencing the person on the other side.

"Shut up! I'm trying to freakin' sleep!"

Just then, I heard a shout coming from the other side of the door.

"Senpai! You told me to come by and wake you up so you could finish your manuscript by the deadline!"

I scrunched up my brows and frowned at Haruhi's voice.

"W-When did I say that?"

I seriously had no clue. I was racking my brain, trying to get it to function this early in the morning, to no avail. The most I could remember was getting up to grab another soda around 3am earlier this morning.

"You told me last night when I brought over dinner! You seriously forgot?!"

I got up and tugged on a pair of baggy cargo pants over the red plaid boxers I was wearing, and replaced my grey muscle shirt with a black sweater; pulling a hand through my hair.

"Sorry. I have absolutely _no idea_ that I said that. I was probably trapped within my own story. You'll find that happens a lot."

She sighed and came in, removing her shoes and rolling up her sleeves as she walked into my kitchen, and I sat down at my table to work.

"Yeah, well, maybe I'll _forget_ to bring you dinner one day."

I gasped and looked at her in fake shock. "You wouldn't!"

She poked her head out of the kitchen with an evil smile. "Try me."

"Haruhi!" I whined, similar to Tamaki.

She just laughed and came back out of my kitchen with two cups of tea and a banana for Fu-kun. I gratefully took mine and sipped it, continuing to type with my free hand.

"How's your wrist doing?"

I looked up from my work and blinked at her from behind my reading glasses.

"It's fine." She gave me a disbelieving look and I turned back to my typewriter nervously. "It, uh, _aches_ sometimes…when I write or type for too long."

I sneaked a peak at her as she nodded, apparently satisfied with my answer, and relaxed. _She acts _way _to much like my mother. I'd start calling her that to tease her, but Kyoya already has that nickname._

"Hey. What time is it?" I asked.

"According to your clock, just after 7:30am."

I nodded, quickly peeling Fu-kun's banana and taking another sip of tea. "Okay. Could you tell me when it's getting close to ten?"

"Sure. I need to leave around then anyway. The supermarket's having a sale and Sunday's are the best days to get discount items."

I suddenly stopped typing and turned to Haruhi, a bit paler that before.

"H-Haruhi?"

"Yeah?"

"Where'd you say your dad was again?"

She raised a bow. "Huh? I never said anything about my dad…but he's at work. I believe he said his boss called in sick this morning."

I face palmed. After all, I just discovered that today's the day the hosts come visit Haruhi.

"Something wrong, Kohaku?"

I shook my head with a sigh. "Nope. Not yet…I suggest you don't plan on doing anything else today though."

"Okay…"

She gave me a confused look, but I just went back to work, making sure that nothing else would distract me since today was going to be a _very_ long day. It wasn't long before I was solely focused on my newest chapter and the words I was typing began to pull me in.

I was no longer Kohaku; a girl torn from her world through tragedy and placed elsewhere to start anew. No. I was now a strong, battle-hardened man-with no memories of who he was-thrust into the depths of a society in search for the very things he had lost. I was fighting the shogun, uncovering memories, some of which I was better off leaving buried.

This particular battle was a hard one. I had been surrounded on all sides, but my enemies were weak and easily defeated. The main difficulty lied with the man in charge, an ex-general in search of power and the complete control of the shogunate. He was a burley man, but I had confidence that I could defeat him. Unfortunately, he had luck on his side and a man from my memories was at his beck and call.

The fight was more than difficult and, despite my skills in swordsmanship, my sickness was making things more difficult than it should be. Blood dripped down my chin and, as a cough racked my form mid-battle, I was disarmed. Forced to the ground, I glared up at my opponent who had once been a friend before my sudden memory-loss.

He raised his weapon, a smirk on his face as he prepared to slay me and I turned away, ready to accept my fate.

"Kohaku! I said we need to go!"

I broke away from my reverie and blinked at Haruhi as she sighed.

"You weren't kidding when you said you get sucked in, were you? I've been calling you for a while now. What were you doing? Slaying evil shadow lords or something?"

I turned back to my typewriter and pulled out the final page, gathering up the other already typed pages as well.

"No. Getting prepared to die, actually." I said with a slight twitch of the lips. "The 'evil shadow lord' hired an old friend who was _just _about to kill me…but now that you've saved me, Haru-chan, I have a new idea for the next chapter!"

I smiled brightly at her and she returned the gesture.

"You're so weird, Kohaku."

I laughed, stuffing the papers in a manila envelope and grabbing my army green, fur-lined jacket from my closet as I followed Haruhi out the door. Locking it behind me, I hummed to myself as we headed towards the supermarket.

"Ahahaha, is it really that good, Kohaku?"

I nodded. "Yup! That, plus only about two hours of sleep and I'm surprised something insane hasn't happened yet." I suddenly paused. "Oh crap."

"What?"

I tilted my head back and brought my hands up to tug on my hair.

"I just jinxed myself!"

Haruhi laughed. "You'll be fine! Why are you freaking out? It's not like you."

I immediately stopped and stared back at her seriously.

"I got two hours of sleep today. _Two. Would you rather I didn't freak out and instead act the way I feel? Because-just so you know- _I am _not _in a good mood _at all_."

She paled and waved her hands.

"N-No! No. That's okay. Just, uh, go back to being…whoever that was."

I smiled again and she sweat dropped.

"Okay!"

"Are you tricking me?"

"Now why would I do that?" I looked at her innocently and she frowned.

"I know you're smarter than you act, Kohaku. I don't need Kyoya to tell me that much."

"All right. You caught me…but seriously. I'm exhausted so don't be surprised if I get moody later."

She raised a brow. "Well, do you want me to get you anything while I'm at the store?"

I shook my head. "Nah. I'm okay for now. I'll just pick something up later."

"Okay. Just make sure you don't forget. You remember what happened last time you forgot to go shopping, don't you?"

She gave me a look and I shivered as I had a brief flashback.

"I was living off of microwaveable ramen for a week…I never knew I owned so many different flavors."

A small smile began to form when Haruhi smacked my shoulder.

"That's not something to be proud of, Kohaku!"

I chuckled before spotting the supermarket. Walking faster towards the café down the street, I turned around and waved at Haruhi.

"We're here! So I'll meet up with you afterwards, Haru-chan!"

She waved back and shook her head with a grin, and I turned back around. When I reached the café, Kintaro wasn't there yet so I waited in line and ordered and extra large cup of hot chocolate. I took my seat at a more secluded table and tried to relax a bit. _I'm so tired. Kintaro better like this or I'll castrate him with a rusty spoon._ I smirked evilly at the prospect when he finally walked in and sat down, shuffling warily.

"G-Good morning, Nishimura-sensei."

"And what's good about it?" I glared.

Without delay, he began to wave his hands in apology, stuttering out nonsense.

"I-I'm sorry! You're right! There's n-nothing good a-about today! I-I mean, this morning! I'm s-sorry about assuming things, Nishimura-sensei!"

Fu-kun chuckled quietly from my shoulders. _**You really messed him up, didn't you?**_ I grinned, sipping my hot chocolate. _He's been like this ever since he found out about my broken wrist. It's quite funny, actually._ As Kintaro calmed down, I pushed over my finished draft over to him.

"Here's the chapter you wanted. I was going to write more, but I think that that's a suitable ending."

He grew serious and picked up the envelope, quickly reading through the papers inside. It was one of the reasons I liked him. He knew when to get serious. He'll be freaking out and acting childish one minute, but the moment you pass him a manuscript, he'll read it, examine it, judge it. I was actually the one who gave him his big break too. A lot of novelists wouldn't take him because he wasn't _professional_ enough.

It was more of a last chance for the both of us, really. I had sent at least two other managers back to the company after they dealt with my exhausted self. Needless to say, we weren't exactly compatible, and Kintaro actually volunteered to be my manager in the hopes to save his job and prove what he was capable of.

I gave him a pretty awful time too, at first. He seemed like a decent enough guy, but even I had my doubts about how good he was at his job. He handled everything really well though.I glanced at him over the rim of my cup, his eyes analyzing my manuscript thoroughly. _He certainly has come a long way from the big chicken he used to be. __**You sound like an old man looking at his grandkids growing up.**_ I rolled my eyes and Kintaro put down the stack of papers.

"Something wrong, Nishimura-sensei?"

I shook my head. "Not in the slightest. Fu-kun just made a crack about my age is all."

Kintaro stared at Fu-kun, who lifted his head to stare back, before turning back to me.

"Okay then." He never questioned mine and Fu-kun's silent conversations. "I like how you ended it since It is very dramatic and will most certainly bring in more readers."

I nodded. "The only thing that worries me is if you'll shorten my deadline like you did last time."

I raised a brow in speculation and he chuckled nervously.

"I'll, uh, try not to do that this time."

"Good. Anything else?"

He flipped through the papers before shaking his head.

"Not really. You're grammar has always been impeccable as well as your spelling. Do you want to talk about the next chapter though?"

"Hm…" I fiddled with my hot chocolate cup and glanced upwards. "I was actually thinking of adding a new character."

"This far in?" He questioned.

"Yeah. One of my friends unknowingly gave me the idea. The character could be someone from his past that he doesn't remember, but they've been searching for him."

And how would you bring them in?"

"They could save him in the last minute before he dies, Then they could cause the enemies to retreat for the time being and Kaede-kun would be confronted later.

Kintaro thought for a moment. "Seems okay so far…Do you have any ideas as to what the character will look like? Their personality?"

An image of Haruhi passed through my head, but I canceled it out.

"A woman. Definitely."

"Oh? Bring in a bit of romance?"

I nodded. "Perhaps, but she won't be happy with him about forgetting her. It'll most certainly be a rocky relationship."

"Interesting. I'll definitely bring in a new audience."

I smiled, finishing off my hot chocolate.

"You sound like we're making a movie, Kintaro-kun."

He laughed. "Not quite! But it has the potential."

"That is, until they figure out the writer is only 17 and still in high school."

"Don't be like that, Nishimura-sensei! You're the most mature 17 year old I've ever met! You have the mentality of someone at _least_ five years older than you."

_**Cutting it a bit close there.**_ "Comes with the job, Kintaro-kun." I said calmly.

"Well, if we're done here, I'm sure you have something else to take care of."

We both stood up and shook hands, and began to make our way out when I ran into someone.

"Ah! I-I'm really so-" The moment I looked up, my mouth dropped open in shock at the person standing in front of me. "S-Shindo-kun?"

He smiled brightly. "We seem to keep running into each other, don't we?"

I slowly nodded, still shaken by his sudden appearance, and as Kintaro left, Shindo followed me out.

"W-What are you doing here?"

"Well, I was going to get some coffee when this pretty girl ran me down." He responded with a grin as my face flushed.

"Stop it." I frowned. "I-I know you're gay, Shindo-kun."

He held up his hands in defeat. "Oh darn. I guess the jig's up, but how'd you find out? Wasn't my charm working on you?"

I shook my head with a smirk, already feeling like he was a good friend.

"Not quite. I actually asked a friend who lives around here if she knew you."

"Really? Who?"

"Haruhi Fujioka. I'm going to meet up with her now, actually."

He smiled brightly. "Ah! Fujioka-san! I remember her. Such a heartbreaker, from what I remember. Boys didn't stand a chance." He shrugged while continuing to smile.

"Yup…Ah!" I said, as we approached the grocery store. "Speaking of heartbreaker, here she is now."

We both headed over and joined her as I reintroduced Shindo.

"Uh, this is Shindo-kun. We seemed to have ran into each other again."

She gave me a look, scanning me up and down.

"You didn't hurt yourself this time, did you?"

I shook my head quickly, making a slashing motion across my neck as Shindo's eyes widened and he turned to look at me.

"You were hurt?"

I smiled nervously. "Nothing too bad. I-I just bruised my wrist a little-"

"A little? You fractured it and since you didn't take care of it properly, you made it worse." Haruhi said sternly, not noticing how she made the situation worse.

"Haruhi." I groaned as Shindo rounded on me once again.

"My God. I'm so sorry, Ko-chan! Why didn't you tell me?! I'll make it up to you. What do you want? Clothes? Jewelry? Dinner?"

I was flustered at his words, but quickly tried to regain control of the situation. "I'm fine, Shindo-kun! You don't have to do anything!"

He grabbed my shoulders and narrowed his eyes at me seriously.

"Absolutely not. It is against my code of honor."

"What are you? A knight?" I muttered under my breath, but he heard and grinned at me devilishly.

"Only if you want me to be, my lady."

I groaned, his actions reminding me of another _prince_, and that thought smacked me in the face like somebody had slapped me. _that's right. I keep forgetting that Tamaki and them are going to be here…And with Shindo tagging along…He could slip up! I have to tell him somehow without letting Haruhi know that the hosts are coming over._

We had already started walking back to our apartments and Shindo was carrying Haruhi's groceries, talking adamantly about their middle school days. My heart ached for a moment as I was reminded that I didn't belong here, but I quickly shoved it to the back of my mind in order to deal with my current situation.

Walking faster to catch up with the two of them, I bumped hips with Shindo, enjoying the grin that spread across his face as he hip-bumped me in return.

"What's up, Ko-chan?"

"Uh…" I glanced at Haruhi and upon noticing her lack of attention towards the two of us, I moved closer to Shindo. "I need to tell you something, but I can't let Haruhi know."

He turned towards Haruhi for a moment before turning back to me with another devilish grin.

"Well, spill the dirt, honey."

_**He'll really get along well with the twins.**__Definitely._

"Okay." I whispered. "you know how Haruhi and I go to a rich school?" He nodded "Well, because of how I act and dress, everyone thinks I'm a guy. Haruhi and a few others in a club we're in are the only ones who know I'm a girl."

"I see, but what does this have to do with me? What's the big secret?"

He leaned closer towards me and I continued.

"That's the thing. There's some guys that are going to be at our apartments and I want you to treat me as a guy around them, because a few of them haven't figured out I'm a girl yet and I want them to figure it out on their own."

"And Haruhi-san?"

"She doesn't know that they're coming. Oh! And the three who don't know are thoroughly convinced I'm gay."

"You're kidding!" he said rather loudly, attracting Haruhi's attention.

"What are you two whispering about?"

Our eyes turned to her and I covered Shindo's mouth before he could give anything away. Completely straight faced, I stared at Haruhi.

"Don't the twins and Kyoya think I'm gay?"

She raised a brow, not quite sure if that was what we had actually been talking about, but with my poker face and half truth question, she had no choice but to believe us.

"I'm not sure _what_ Kyoya-senpai thinks, but the twins are totally convinced you're gay…for whatever reason."

I nodded and removed my hand from Shindo's mouth.

"See. I told you so."

He wiggled hi eyebrows with a grin.

"Must be all your feminine features."

I frowned, my mood taking a turn, and walked a bit faster to get ahead of them. "_What_ feminine features?" I muttered.

Behind me, Shindo's eyes widened and he glanced at Haruhi, who shrugged. I stuffed my hands in my pockets and scowled at the self-degrading thoughts that passed through my head. _Feminine features? Ha! Doesn't he know you don't have any? You're worse than a man in drag sometimes. You're better off as a guy anyway. It's harder to get hurt if no one finds you attractive._

"Hey!"

Shindo's hand grabbed my shoulder and spun me to face him. I couldn't hide my feelings as good as I normally could, so I kept my head down and my hands fisted in my pockets.

"Hey, look at me."

Shindo tilted my head up and I gave him a weak glare, while his lips turned down slightly in a frown.

"I struck a nerve didn't I?"

His eyes searched mine as I got my voice back.

"Doesn't matter."

"It does matter, Ko-chan."

I shook my head and stepped back from him, determined to have us continue on our way.

"Kohaku!" Haruhi yelled, but Shindo held out a hand to stop her, looking her with a smile.

"I'll take care of this. Give us a minute."

Haruhi reluctantly nodded and followed at a distance while Shindo caught up with me again. He didn't try to stop me this time. Instead, he just walked next to me with his own hands shoved in his pockets.

"I know what it's like, you know; to feel like your body isn't yours."

"It's different." I told him. "Our situations are different. You're gay and I'm just…" I trailed off, searching for the right word to explain my thoughts.

"Lost? Lonely? Trust me, Ko-chan, when I say we're not that different. I'm sure you have it a bit harder than me, but still. We both have friends to help us get through things and if you need someone to talk about this, or school, or whatever, you've always got me."

Him and I had stopped at some point during our conversation, and he pulled me into a hug.

"Don't think too hard about it, Ko-chan, and we'll all find someone who'll love us for who we are." he let go of me and smiled. "And if we don't, we'll always have each other, right?"

I shook my head with a small smile. "You're a good talker, Shindo-kun."

He laughed and slapped me on the back.

"You should see me at school! They can never get me to shut up!"

I laughed with him as Haruhi came over as well.

"You're insane, Shindo-kun!"

Haruhi rolled her eyes as I hung off Shindo's shoulders.

"I'm guessing you feel better now, Kohaku?"

"B-Better? I'm going to h-hurt myself laughing so hard!"

"It wasn't _that_ funny, Kohaku."

I shook my head back and forth as tears pricked the corners of my eyes.

"I-I imagined S-Shindo-kun going to class in drag with Ranka-san!"

Haruhi glanced at Shindo for a second before she too, began to chuckle.

"Hey! That's not funny!" Shindo said, but the grin on his face said otherwise.

Just then, a voice spoke over our laughter.

"Haruhi?"

She turned towards the voice to see none other than the blonde idiot Tamaki. I probably should've started running, but the situation Haruhi was in only made me laugh harder; Shindo-kun practically having to hold me up to keep me from face planting into the sidewalk. Fu-kun ditched me for Shindo's sturdier shoulders and Haruhi gave me a dark glare.

"You knew about this, didn't you?"

"I-I-I couldn't tell! B-But now it's hilarious!"

She groaned with a face palm and turned her glare back towards the hosts.

"Go home now!"

Snapping out of their shock towards Haruhi's clothing, they all gave a thumbs up at her.

"**The beauty of simplicity!"**

"Shut up! Get lost!" She yelled in return, sending me into another fit of laughter as Tamaki moved on to charming our landlady. Unfortunately for me, my laughter caught their attention and they _finally_ noticed I was there.

"Look Takashi! It's Ko-kun!"

"Ah."

I didn't notice it at the time, having been too busy laughing, but Mori had a slight frown on his face, as did another host. Honey's voice alerted Tamaki and, almost immediately, he was pointing an accusing finger at Shindo and I.

"You! Why are you with Haruhi?!"

I stared back at him blankly, having recovered from my laughing attack but not quite recovering from my previous exhaustion. "I live here, idiot."

Tamaki's jaw dropped in shock. "B-But why didn't you tell us?!"

"You never asked." I replied with a shrug.

I wasn't really in the mood to deal with Tamaki, what with my limited amount of sleep, so I wasn't going to play nice. Besides, it seems I already managed to stump him. Tamaki's mouth kept opening and closing like a fish, trying to come up with a comeback, but instead, changed the subject by pointing out Shindo.

"Then who's that?!"

"This is Shindo Yamanaka my-"

"Boyfriend!"

I turned my head around in shock as Shindo wrapped his arms across my shoulders in a hug; a big grin on his face. Tamaki was in just as much shock as I was, only he was slowly flaking away in the wind. The twins, on the other hand, leaned forwards with eyes narrowed in scrutiny and devilish smiles on their faces.

"Oh? Kohaku-senpai…"

"…found himself…"

"…**a boyfriend?"**

My face turned a light shade of red and I shook my head back and forth violently.

"No! He's not-"

Shindo covered my mouth with his has, just as I had done before, and winked at me before feigning disbelief.

"Of course I am! How could you say such a thing Ko-chan?!"

I pulled his hand away from my mouth but before I could get a chance to say anything, Tamaki was in my face again.

"Why does this hooligan get to call you by such a name?! Daddy wants to call his son 'Ko-chan' too!"

I flinched at the word 'daddy', but couldn't handle Tamaki's puppy dog eyes.

"Fine! But not Ko-chan…I suppose Ko-kun is okay though."

Tamaki cheered and went to hug me, but Shindo pulled me away and stuck out his tongue at Tamaki's surprised face.

"Mine."

Tamaki then broke down into tears and tackled Haruhi in a death hug.

"Haruhi! That hooligan is taking away my precious son!"

Haruhi tried to shove him off, yelling at him.

"Get off me! Kohaku can like whoever he wants!"

It was then, that she noticed the rest of the hosts climbing up the stairs; Kyoya in the lead.

"The Fujioka family lives in apartment 203 and Kohaku-kun lives next door in 202."

"Don't go ahead of us! Kohaku!" She rounded on me and I stared back at her innocently. "Go stop them or something!"

I shook my head. "Nu-uh. Even you know that there's not stopping them once their set on something. That," I tilted my head towards Shindo, who hadn't yet released me yet. "and I'm a bit tied up at the moment."

She groaned and finally managed to pry Tamaki off her, something I still couldn't do to Shindo.

"Then let's hurry up and get this over with."

We all headed up the stairs and met up with the others as I tried to figure out a way to tell them that Shindo and I weren't together._ I don't know why he did that anyway. That idiot._

Speaking of idiots, I raised a brow as Tamaki taught the others how to 'conserve space' by sitting with their knees up to their chests.

"Morons." I muttered, and Shindo chuckled from behind me.

"Now, Ko-chan, be nice."

"Says you." I growled. "You're the idiot who told them that you were my boyfriend. I won't hear the end of it now."

"Aw~ You know it's fun. Just roll with it."

I opened my mouth to get mad at him, but Haruhi called to me from the kitchen.

"Kohaku? Could you help me get cups for everyone while I get started on the tea?"

"Yeah. Coming." I turned to Shindo and growled again. "You're lucky. I may not even have a chance to tell them at this point."

He just laughed and went into the living room as I helped Haruhi locate enough cups for everyone. We were just out of earshot of the others, so when I was trolling through the cupboards, Haruhi took that chance to speak with me.

"So…Shindo-san?"

I groaned. "Not even, Haruhi. That moron just went ahead and said whatever he wanted to. Claims that it will be 'fun'. _Che_. Load of fun this is turning out to be. It won't be long before the twins start teasing and Kyoya-kun begins interrogating."

Haruhi sighed. "Right. Are you going to tell them it's not true?"

I set the cups I was holding, down and rubbed my face.

"I don't know. I doubt they'll even believe me a-and I don't even want to bother at this point."

She gave me a concerned look and stopped pouring the tea for a second.

"Maybe you should go home, Kohaku. Get some sleep."

As much as the thought of sleep pleased me, I couldn't leave Haruhi here with the hosts _and_ Shindo.

"I can't. I don't think I could even fall asleep if I tried. Not to mention that it wouldn't be very nice to leave you here to deal with all the hosts."

She sighed again, picking up the tray of tea.

"You're too strong sometimes, Kohaku. Too strong…and too stubborn."

_**Ha! She got you there!**_ I flicked Fu-kun on the nose with a frown, turning back to Haruhi who raised a brow.

"What? He said you were right." I pouted and Haruhi chuckled as we walked back into the living room. She gave me my tea first, along with a chocolate bar she claimed she had been saving for me, for when I come over. Then, she passed out tea for the others as we gathered around the table. I sat next to Shindo with Kyoya on the end, and I suddenly felt that this was the worst place to be sitting.

Kyoya was blatantly glaring at me, not bothering to hide it behind his glasses, and Shindo seemed to only be making things worse by making faces at him and pulling me so close that I was practically on his lap.

"I don't like him." Shindo whispered to me. "Why's he glaring?"

I rolled my eyes. "Oh, I don't know. Maybe because he knows I'm lying. Or maybe because some _idiot_ decided to all of a sudden become my _boyfriend_ and is practically pulling me onto his lap, while making faces at him. Or better yet! Maybe he's jealous? Yeah, that's it. Kyoya-kun is jealous and is imagining ways to kill us both." I said sarcastically.

Well…not really 'said'. I was still whispering, but Shindo got the point. At least, that's what I thought.

"Oh? Then let's make him more jealous!"

Shindo literally put me in his lap and pulled me back into his chest with a Cheshire grin, as my face lit up like a Christmas tree.

"You idiot! It was sarcasm! Sarcasm! Let me go!" I whispered harshly at him as Kyoya's eyes narrowed.

"No."

_Great. Just great. Not only is Shindo pretending to be my boyfriend, but he's pissing off Kyoya big time. _I sighed, giving up._ You know what? I don't even care anymore. Kyoya gets mad at me on a daily basis. I'd be better off just dealing with him later._

I relaxed my tensed body and just allowed Shindo to keep me on his lap. I was tired of dealing with all this pent up stress and now, I was going to take this time to just relax. Kyoya could get as ticked off as he wants.

"You pick the first cake, Haru-chan!" honey exclaimed, opening the box of assorted cakes.

Glancing it over, I opened up the wrapper of my chocolate. _They don't have enough cakes for Shindo and I. unless Kyoya doesn't take one, but even then, I still won't get one. I don't mind though. I've got chocolate._ I snapped off apiece of chocolate between my teeth and watched as Haruhi stared at the cakes, unsure.

"Are you sure?"

I couldn't help but give her a little push.

"Go for it, Haruhi. They offered and nobody's stopping you."

She rolled her eyes. "You always say that, Kohaku."

I shrugged and took a sip of my tea, watching Tamaki and the twins. _They should make their own comedy show. They could make millions without having to act any different than they normally do._

"I'll take the strawberry one."

The twins and Tamaki huddled close together and I could practically hear their thoughts. _"She's so cute!"_

"Ko-kun! You can pick a cake next!"

I blinked at Honey and shook my head.

"Nah. Just give a cake to Shindo-kun. I have some chocolate anyway." I said, snapping off another piece. _God, I love that sound._

"Okay! Here you go, Shi-kun!"

Honey passed Shindo a cake as he cooed.

"Aw! Thanks, Ko-chan!"

It was when he pecked me on the cheek, that I frowned and gave him a look.

"Behave."

He just chuckled and smiled at me, so I went back to eating my chocolate; snapping a piece off every time. It didn't take long for us to finish eating, though it was amazing watching Tamaki and the twins pound on the floor when Mori gave Haruhi his strawberries. Fu-kun was happy too since, once Honey saw what Mori did for Haruhi, he did the same for Fu-kun. Unfortunately, none of them were satisfied and they weren't the only ones.

_Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr._ A light blush spread across my cheeks and Shindo laughed.

"Somebody's hungry!~"

The idiot trio and Honey all turned to Haruhi with innocent looks on their faces.

"**What's for lunch?"**

I watched as Kyoya walked up to Haruhi.

"Well, we're the ones who have been imposing on you. Why don't we order sushi? Anything you like."

I raised my hand like a grade-schooler, leaning forward so the two of them could see me.

"I don't like sushi."

Kyoya flashed his glasses in my direction and, not wanting to make him angrier than he already was, I held my hands up in surrender as Haruhi sweat dropped. Glancing back at Kyoya, Haruhi frowned.

"I don't want you paying for me."

He simply held up a credit card. "I'm using the money from selling your notebook paper on the auction site."

"That's the same as me paying." She grumbled, but she easily gave up. "Well, I know a good place nearby. I'll go order something. That place is superb, so it'll probably suit your tastes…And you can order something else, Kohaku. They have more than just sushi."

I nodded and kept an eye on Tamaki as he hastily wrote a note and handed it off to Haruhi. Needless to say, she took one look at it and crumpled it up, throwing it into the trash bin. Tamaki went to confront her about it, but it was then that I noticed Honey giving me a look. Lifting a brow, I leaned closer so he could talk to me.

"Do you need something, Honey-kun?"

He bobbed his head up and down enthusiastically. "Uh-huh! Neh, can you cook, Ko-kun?"

I blinked a few times, wondering where this question came from.

"I can cook, but mostly Italian and American dishes. You know, pasta and stuff. I just started looking into Japanese foods, and the best I can do is homemade udon. Personally, I'm better at baking."

I shrugged nonchalantly and he grinned, which frightened me a little. _What is he planning?_

"Can Haru-chan cook?"

"Y-Yeah. I always eat her food. I love her cooking."

Suddenly, Honey ran towards Haruhi, leaving me there in confusion.

"Well that was odd." Shindo said, just as confused as I was.

"Haru-chan! Haru-chan! I want to have a meal made by you! Ko-kun too!"

He pointed at me and I waved sheepishly. _So that's what he was planning! Little demon._

"Well…okay, but it will take a while if I start now."

"I'll wait!" Honey cheered and the three stooges cried hysterically for not being brave enough to ask themselves. _She probably would've said 'no' if it was anyone other than Honey, Mori, or I asking. _I thought, finishing off my tea. Looking down into the cup sadly, I frowned.

"Why is the tea always gone?" I half-quoted, and Shindo chuckled.

"I believe the term was _rum_, Ko-chan."

I shrugged. "Whatever."

"I'll have to go to the supermarket…again." Haruhi said, catching my attention.

"Ah! I almost forgot! I need to go too. Fu-kun's out of bananas and I need to restock my soda, ice cream, and ramen supply."

Haruhi shook her head as the others sweat dropped.

"You really should buy some _actual_ food, Kohaku. You can't keep coming here for dinner."

"Aw!" I whined. "you know you and Ranka-san love it when I come over!"

"That's because if we don't, you'd end up holing yourself up in your apartment and eating junk food for the rest of your life."

"Hm…I suppose that's true."

The twins suddenly shot up, not wanting to be left out.

"**We'll go! Both of us!"**

"Me too! Me too!" honey called out.

"It might be a good experience."

Kyoya also headed out with the others and Shindo pulled me up.

"Shall we head out, my lady?" He said with a bow and I punched him on the arm.

"Don't call me 'lady'."

He chuckled and went so far as to try and help me with my coat, but I snatched it from him and put it on myself.

"Don't push your luck, Romeo."

"It's hard not to, when you're making it so easy."

I rolled my eyes and stood waiting just outside the door. Shindo, having stopped walking when he saw that I wasn't following, turned around in question.

"You're not coming?"

I shook my head. "It's not that. I'm just-" Hearing shouts from inside, I smirked. "Waiting for someone."

He became even more confused, but came over next to me.

"Who're we waiting for?"

My smile grew. "3…2...1..."

"Ah! Ko-chan! I haven't seen you in ages!"

I was swiftly tackled in a hug, but I returned it with a smile.

"What do you mean, 'ages'? I came over for dinner yesterday!"

Ranka let go and waved his hand. "But that was so long ago~ It's so nice having you around. Gives me someone to talk to."

"Well, thank you, Ranka-san."

He frowned, wagging his finger back and forth. "Now what did I tell you? It's Ranka-_chan_. Ranka-_chan_!"

"Yes, yes. Apologies, Rank-_chan_." I gestured to Shindo. "This is Shindo Yamanaka and, for reasons I _still_ don't know, he's pretending to be my boyfriend, and I've already told you before about the twins and Kyoya-kun, right?"

He nodded, shaking hands with Shindo.

"Yes, I remember. It's nice to meet you as well, Shindo-kun. I trust you'll take care of Kohaku for now?"

"Of course, and I _love_ your outfit, Ranka-san."

Immediately, Ranka's eyes lit up and I groaned, holding my head in my hands. _He's already made it into Ranka's good books. Wonderful._

"Oh! Thank you, Shindo-kun! I chose it myself of course, and don't you really-"

"Not to be rude, Ranka-chan, but I suggest you go check on Haruhi. I _did_ hear some shouting earlier and she's taking an awful long time to come out."

His eyes widened and he pulled me in with him.

"Haruhi! I'm home! The boss is feeling quite a bit better so I came back to change and found Ko-chan outside wait-"

Ranka suddenly stopped when he spotted his daughter in a supposedly '_compromising_' position with a stranger. I found this quite funny though, and was struggling not to laugh as Ranka hurried over and threw Tamaki into the wall.

"What's wrong, Haruhi? Why are you here all alone? I'm sorry I left you all alone last night. Were you lonely? My boss suddenly came down with a fever."

"Um, what was that sound?" Haruhi questioned, a bit afraid of what her father was going to do to Tamaki. Ignoring her, Ranka went on.

"My left hand hurts, as if I just hit the biggest _brute_ of the century or something. I sure would like a hot cup of tea about now."

_Oh here we go._ I though, removing the shoes and coat I had just put on. _And the shadow _queen_ appears._

"Tea! Haruhi! Do you use firewood to make hot water?! Where do you start a fire?!" Tamaki yelled as he frantically went about trying to solve Ranka's wishes.

"On second thought, maybe I'll have a quick nap."

I rolled my eyes and caught the cup Tamaki dropped as he ran to the closet.

"Futon! I'll get the futon ready! Right! Haruhi! Which is your father's futon?!"

"Speaking of which…" Ranka suddenly rounded on Tamaki, shoving his foot into the blonde's back. "What's this huge, disgusting bug I found? And how is it you're acting so familiar with my daughter?"

I let out a short chuckle, and Haruhi gave me a look.

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

"Oh, you bet I am."

"It is pretty funny, isn't it?" Shindo said, having come in behind me and slinging an arm around my shoulders.

Haruhi face palmed with a sigh and the twins decided to show up and make things worse.

"Tono, what are you doing?"

"Ah, I thought so. It's Haruhi's dad."

Thinking he was being saved, Tamaki called out to them, only to be ignored and stepped on in the process.

"What, did you try seducing Haruhi?"

"**Hi! We're Haruhi's **_**best friends**_**, the Hitachiin brothers!"**

"I'm so sorry. He's a true womanizer. Nothing but a pheromone machine. He's played with countless women you see."

"Played with?" Ranka said darkly.

"No! I wasn't playing around! I truly…" _And here we go._ "…regard her as my own daughter!"

The twins began laughing and it was obvious that Ranka thought of him as an idiot, while I just sighed quietly to myself. _I always felt bad for Tamaki here. Poor guy not only has to fight Hikaru for her, but he can't recognize his own feelings and has to deal with her dad too._ As everyone else came back in, Tamaki took his spot in the closet and I decided to sit by him.

"Kohaku-senpai?"

He looked at me, unsure, and I gave him a small smile to cheer him up.

"It's okay, Tamaki-kun. I think Ranka-chan will warm up to you sooner or later."

"Really?" He asked, looking a little more hopeful now, and I nodded.

"Sure. Why not?"

He threw himself at me in a hug, much to Shindo's displeasure.

"Oh thank you, Ko-kun! I really do hope you're right!"

I chuckled nervously and pat his head as he nuzzled my cheek. _As do I, Tamaki. As do I. _then, Ranka's voice drowned out everything.

"You sure are a gorgeous group! Which boy should I choose…Just kidding! I already have Ko-kun after all-" Ranka winked at me and I smiled back. "Please feel free to call me Ranka-chan! All right?"

"Wow! It's like a stage name!" Honey commented and Ranka nodded.

"That's right, Mitsukuni-kun!"

"**How come he knows Honey-senpai's name?"** The two twins questioned.

"Mitsukuni-kun and Mori-kun are third years, and Hikaru-kun and Kaoru-kun are first years, right? I've heard a lot about you guys."

Everyone glanced over at Haruhi, thinking she told her father, but Ranka quickly dashed that idea.

"Ko-kun tells me a lot when he's over, but Kyoya-kun and I talk over the phone and email each other too. This is the first time we've met in person. You're even more handsome than I imagined!"

"No, no. It's _you,_ Ranka-san, who is beautiful."

I pointed a finger in my mouth and pretended to gag. Kyoya turned towards me though, and I put my hands behind my head and whistled innocently. His glasses flashed and he turned back to Ranka with a grin.

"Thank you for those precious photos you provided the other day."

Tamaki, who had been moping in the closet after Shindo pulled him off me, turned suddenly and grabbed Kyoya's shoulder; a dark aura surrounding him.

"Kyoya-"

Kyoya smiled confidently, bringing his cup up to his lips.

"As long as she's in our club, a precious daughter is in our care. Naturally, it's our duty to give her father a report every now and then. It really should be your job, shouldn't it?"

Tamaki choked, realizing that Kyoya was right but before I could help him out, Ranka laughed; a hand in front of his mouth.

"What an impeccable president! Oh, but you're the vice president. You must have a horribly incompetent president. Ah! He must be too busy wooing the girls, I suppose?"

Tamaki, after being stabbed by so many insults, dove right back into the closet and began making mushrooms.

"Hold it right there, dad!" Haruhi shouted. "You never told me you knew Kyoya-senpai!"

"Well, that's because you never talk about school unless Ko-kun in here, Haruhi."

Being distracted by Tamaki, she turned around.

"Tamaki, will you please stop cultivating mushrooms in the closet!"

"Haruhi…you are.." Having caught her attention, Ranka attacked her, pulling her in for a hug. "So cute when you're angry."

While Ranka was squealing over Haruhi, I was chuckling in the back at the two of them. Apparently, Haruhi did not appreciate that and snatched me up off of the floor the moment she got away from her father.

"Where are you going?" Ranka called after her in despair.

"We're going to the market to shop _alone_. The two of us will be right back, so behave yourselves."

I stood up after pulling on my coat and boots, waving.

"bye guys! I'll bring you back some ice cream to cheer you up, Tamaki-kun."

The other's opened their mouths in protest, but before they could get a syllable out, Haruhi returned and grabbed my ear.

"Let's _go_, Kohaku."

"Ouch, ouch, ouch! Haruhi! That hurts!" I whined as she pulled me away from the door and down the stairs.

"Yeah, well, you deserve it."

_**Ha-ha.**__ Shut up._

* * *

"Haruhi! We'll go!" Hikaru shouted after them as Shindo yelled out as well.

"What about me, Ko-chan?! I want some ice cream too!"

It was too late though, since they could hear Kohaku's wailing fade down the stairs.

"It's okay. One her mind is set, Haruhi won't listen. The same goes for Kohaku too, as far as I can tell." Ranka sighed blissfully. "Even though I respect both of their independence, I wouldn't mind if they'd lean on me sometimes."

Shindo cocked his head. "What do you mean? What about Ko-chan's parents?"

The room grew a bit tense, but the hosts were wondering the same thing; having not heard about what happened to Kohaku's family either, since they stopped playing the game of trying to find out.

Ranka sighed. "I probably shouldn't tell you this, but I can see you're all good friends to Kohaku and I can see how each of you have influenced him."

The hosts and Shindo waited with baited breath as Ranka paused to sip his tea.

"Kohaku doesn't have any parents. Everyone in his family are gone."

There was a collective intake of breath as everyone took in that information, Honey clutched his Usa-chan closer to him.

"Gone?" He asked. "Do they live somewhere else?"

Ranka shook his head. "No. They're dead, Mitsukuni-kun. Kohaku has no living relatives."

Hikaru looked down, clenching his fists. "That idiot. Why didn't he tell us? Are we not good enough for him or something?"

Kaoru, being the ever concerned brother that he was, tried to calm him down; knowing that that wasn't the reason why Kohaku didn't say anything. "Hikaru."

Ranka sighed, again, pulling a hand through his long hair. "It's not that you weren't good enough for him, Hikaru-kun. Kohaku just has a difficult time expressing himself. He's grown up in a family where he was the one responsible for everything and that can be a lot of pressure sometimes. When he did come to Haruhi and I to tell us about his family, I could see how hard he was trying to keep everything together. When he finally did just let everything go…it was hard to watch just how much emotion he had been holding back."

"Poor Ko-kun." Honey said, tears coming to his eyes.

"I knew he was holding a lot back." Kaoru said. "But I didn't expect it to be something like that."

The others nodded in agreement when Ranka finally tried to ease up a bit of the sour mood.

"He's an amazing kid though. Despite everything he's been through, he's still able to smile and you boy have really helped him to be able to do that. Thank you."

Everyone was surprised that Ranka was thanking them, when they felt they really didn't do anything, but then Ranka went off on a tangent.

"Haruhi is a stubborn one too. She decided on Ouran all by herself. She even applied on her own. Personally, I would've liked to see her attend an all-girls school that has a cute uniform. Somewhere like Lobelia."

The twins sweat dropped, remembering their past experiences with the Lobelia girls. **"Lobelia's kind of…" **They trailed off and Ranka began again, remembering his adorable daughter in the past.

"The beautiful girl I gave birth to doesn't care about how she looks at all. Even so, I made sure she looked cute all through middle school." Ranka's eyes began tearing up and he fell to the ground sobbing. "But one day, she cut her hair on her own!"

"**We know how you must have felt."** The twins said as Honey awed sadly. Even Shindo nodded, wondering how Kohaku's parent's must've felt when she cut her hair. Ranka got up though, wiping away his tears as he smiled at the hosts.

"That's why I'm grateful to you. It looks like she's doing well in school. And although she looks like a boy, you see her as the cute girl she is. Isn't that right, Tamaki Suoh?"

Tamaki stopped cultivating mushrooms and popped his head out of the closet in shock.

"Father…"

"But you mistook Haruhi as a boy? And you even smacked her on the head."

_And here he goes again. _Shindo thought._ I see why Kohaku felt so bad for him now. Poor guy's getting hammered._

"I am the most horrible person ever!" Tamaki wailed, running out of the apartment.

"**Ah! He's running away!"** The twins shouted, preparing to run after him, but Ranka stopped them with an evil glint in his eyes.

"Everyone~ Are you up for some fun?"

_Oh!~ I like him. Ranka and I will get along great._ Shindo smirked as Ranka told them the plan.

* * *

Haruhi sighed, either exhausted or relieved that we were finally away from everyone. I, personally, was just glad she'd finally let go of my ear. I rubbed it gently, still feeling the ache from Haruhi pulling on it.

"You okay, Haru-chan?"

"I guess, but I'm just a bit frustrated that dad didn't tell me about him and Kyoya."

I hummed in acknowledgement. "Well, he was just worried about you. It's what they do. Parents, I mean."

"Yeah…"She glanced over at me warily, a look I easily recognized. "You doing okay?"

"Hm." I rubbed the back of my neck. "I suppose so. I mean, I'm not normally one who just goes out and expresses what I'm feeling to just _anyone_. But I suppose I'm okay." I scratched Fu-kun's head with a tiny smile. "I've mostly gotten over the whole thing, but it's still a bit hard, what with Tamaki-kun playing family."

"Then just tell him not to." Haruhi frowned. "If it hurts you that much, he should stop."

I shook my head. "Nah. If anything, he needs the whole family setting just as much as I do. I can't get into specifics, but we both really understand each other." I smirked, nudging her. "If it weren't for you, I'd probably take him for myself, you know."

"W-What?!" Haruhi's face flushed and I laughed, patting her on the back.

"Ha-ha! I'm just kidding, Haru-chan! No need to get all flustered." I wiggled my brows and she just hit my arm playfully.

"I'm not flustered! I just didn't expect that coming from you!"

"What do you mean?"

I played innocent and curious, but my mind was in total chaos. Memories of friends from my past still haunted me and flashed through my mind, as I was waiting restlessly for the same words to come out of her mouth as they did my old friends'.

"_I just can't see you liking a guy."_

I was surprised though, when I hear something different.

"I didn't think you and Tamaki-senpai would be that close. Why? What did you think I meant?"

_Might as well tell her._ "I've had friends back home who've made comments similar to that. Saying that they wouldn't have expected me to say something. They just had…different reasons as to why they said that."

"Like what?"

I bit my bottom lip and her curious face changed into that of a frown.

"Kohaku?"

"T-They said they couldn't see me with a guy."

"What? Why not?"

I shoved my hands into my pockets, looking at the ground beneath my feet. "Because I look so much like a guy."

"But just because you look like a guy doesn't mean you are one."

"Tell that to Kyoya-kun and the twins. Besides, what guy would want to be with a girl who looks and acts like another guy?"

"I'm sure there's someone."

I chuckled sadly. "Yeah right. No one would want me." I said dejectedly.

"Haruhi grew angry and hurried in front of me, keeping me from walking any further.

"Don't say that!" She shouted. "So what if you're a bit boyish? Who cares if you don't like make-up or skirts? There's someone for everyone, Kohaku! Don't give up on finding that person just because your friends are idiots and don't understand you! The Kohaku I know would _never_ give up over something like that! You're your own person! And you shouldn't have to change yourself or act like a girl o find that one special person!"

I had always wanted someone to say that to me. Saying it to myself just never seemed to be enough, and now that Haruhi has said it, it gave me hope. Tears had welled up in my eyes and I let them fall; a smile breaking out on my face.

"T-Thank you, Haruhi." I bent down and hugged her. "You always know just what to say and you're a better friend than _any_ of my old friends." _I just wish I could tell you everything._ _**Sorry, kid. Not yet.**_

I let Haruhi go and wiped my tears, keeping a smile on my face as I took her hand and pulled her along.

"Come on, Haru-chan! We don't want the store to run out of anything!"

She rolled her eyes, but allowed me to continue pulling her.

"Since when do they run out? There's not even a sale going on!"

I laughed. "So?" the I suddenly stopped, Haruhi running into my back.

"What's wrong? Why'd you stop, Kohaku?"

"I forgot to ask Tamaki-kun what his favorite ice cream was."

I heard an audible '_smack_' and turned around to see Haruhi with a hand on her face.

"You've got to be kidding me." She muttered.

Walking closer, I leaned over and peeled her hand away from her face.

"You know, Haru-chan, if you keep doing that you'll be killing off brain cells and won't get top on your next exam." She glared at me and I chuckled, letting go of her hand. "It's okay. I'll just ask Tamaki-kun when he gets here."

"'When he _gets_ here'?"

I held up a finger, telling her to wait. Maybe a minute later, someone ran past us, crying and wailing.

"T-Tamaki-senpai?" Haruhi questioned, making him freeze and then shuffle behind a pole like he was trying to hide. "You're totally sticking out."

Haruhi gave me a look and I smiled, shoving her towards him and whispering in her ear.

"Go find out what happened. Cheer him up."

She sighed, but went over and asked, as two women paused in their walk to gossip.

"Are they fighting?"

"But it's the boy who's crying."

I smiled and turned my head towards them.

"He had a rough day. Just met her father."

Sensing a possible source of gossip, and a friendly face, they turned towards me looking for more.

"Oh. First time meeting her father?"

"That has to be rough. Especially if he's in this shape."

I nodded. "What's worse, is the poor guy tripped and fell on top of her just as her dad came home."

"No!"

"Yup. His friends, who came along as support, threw him under the bus too. The father's convinced he's a womanizer now."

I folded my arms and shook my head in shame as the two women expressed their pity.

"The poor boy!"

"And such a cute face too!"

I wasn't sure what him having a cute face had to do with anything, but I was interrupted by Haruhi tugging on my ear again.

"It's rude to gossip about others, Kohaku." She scolded.

"Sorry! Ow! I'm sorry!" Haruhi released me and I turned around with a smile, waving a the two woman. "Bye, ladies!"

They blushed a bit and began giggling, when my ear was grabbed yet again.

"Ow! Haruhi!"

"Hmph."

* * *

As Haruhi dragged Kohaku along by her ear, with Tamaki holding her coat, she didn't notice that they were being followed; not to discreetly either.

"Somehow, together they look like a mother with a crying child, scolding another one." Ranka said.

"But why is milord acting like a little boy?"

"And Kohaku-kun is acting odd too."

The two twins were obviously confused, but Kyoya was lost for a totally different reason.

"But what about us? What is this 'fun' thing?"

"It's a stalker game, Kyoya-kun! Rather…" Ranka pulled down his sunglasses a bit and posed. "I just wanted to walk around in a group of good-looking men!"

The twins easily saw how alike Ranka and Tamaki were and, as much as he would deny it, even Kyoya was beginning to get slightly annoyed at how similar the two were.

"Ah! We're losing them!" Ranka said, seeing the trio they were following round the corner. "Let's hurry up, boys!"

It didn't take long for them to catch up, and it also helped that Ranka knew exactly where they were going, but once they reached the store, everyone began to split up.

Kohaku went off to do her own shopping, planning to meet up with Haruhi afterwards, and the twins took Shindo so he could show them the best commoner goods. Honey wanted to go look at some sweets, so Mori went ahead and took him in a cart around the store. The only ones left together, were Tamaki and Haruhi, and Kyoya and Ranka.

Kyoya was slightly interested in the commoner goods, but Ranka knew that there was something more on his mind. Ranka's eyes trailed over to Kohaku as she trolled through the fruits, checking each one carefully for bruises and other damages. _She can be so thorough when she wants to be. Sounds a lot like somebody else I know._ Ranka's glance shifted to Kyoya as a small smile began to grow on Ranka's face, having seen Kyoya's gaze on Kohaku.

"Interesting person, isn't he?"

Kyoya, playing ignorant, pushed up his glasses to hide who he had been looking at.

"And who might that be?"

"Kohaku, of course."

"I suppose he can be interesting, on occasion." Kyoya responded calmly.

"Oh hum!" Ranka said. "He's far more intriguing that you think, Kyoya-kun. You'd be surprised."

"Is that so."

Kyoya sounded disinterested, but Ranka could see that glint in his eyes screaming that he wanted to hear more.

"I bet he doesn't tell you anything about himself, does he?"

Kyoya frowned. "No. He claims that he wanted me to figure it out myself, which is quite frustrating."

Ranka chuckled a bit. "That certainly sounds like him…but if that's the case, I'm sure he hasn't told you this either." Kyoya quickly turned to look at Ranka, not bothering to hide his surprise. "Kohaku isn't all that he seems, so I'm sure if you look a bit harder you'll discover something more remarkable than you think. One thing's for sure though, Kohaku cares for you the most out of all the other hosts."

Kyoya's face fell, not really seeing the point of what Ranka just told him.

"I highly doubt that. It's more often than not, that he's hanging around Mori-senpai or Tamaki-kun. He does not care as much as you think he does."

Ranka shook his head. "That's not true. Whenever he talks about school, you're always the first he speaks of and he never speaks ill of you like Haruhi does."

Kyoya's eyes widened. He would've never expected Kohaku to do that, after everything he has put him through. _I always suspected that he despised me and was only hiding his information to torture me. But if that was the case, why do this? Is he trying to trick me again?_

Ranka's face suddenly fell as he continued the conversation. "I always come home late, because of work and Kohaku always seems to be awake, even when I work overtime. I sometimes wonder if he gets any sleep at all…but, everyday, I'll hear music playing. Just loud enough to be heard through the walls, but not loud enough to wake Haruhi. I can hear him though, just barely. The poor kid cries himself to sleep almost every night, Kyoya-kun."

_What?_ Kyoya didn't know what to think now. This was a conversation he never envisioned himself having, and he had no plans for it. No possible ways to respond to what Ranka had just said, because to him, that wasn't Kohaku. Even Kyoya believed that Kohaku was tougher than he looked. The way he carried himself and the injuries that he just blew off or ignored were consistent with that of a person far stronger than him. So to hear that Kohaku was this…_fragile_, was a complete shock to Kyoya.

"Do…Do you know why?"

_What am I doing? I don't stutter!_ _What the hell is wrong with me?_

Ranka shook his head. "I don't know, really. It could be anything with him."

"I understand." Kyoya said, but then he spotted Shindo and something dark and hot began to pool in his stomach. Stirring him up and filling him with unknown anger. "What do you know about Shindo-san?" He suddenly asked.

Ranka, sensing Kyoya's distress, mentally smirked. "I must say, I don't know much…but if you're interested in _why_ he's together with Kohaku, I suggest you go ask Kohaku while you still have a chance. I find, asking him directly is the only way to get him to talk."

Kyoya, losing face for a second, frowned; something Ranka spotted easily. Putting back on his business smile, Kyoya nodded to Ranka.

"Thank you for sharing such things with me, Ranka-san. Now, if you'll excuse me, there's a box of commoner's cake mix over there that I am interested in."

Ranka also nodded with a smile and a wave, and as Kyoya walked towards the baking isle-avoiding what Ranka told him he should do-a thought passed through Ranka's head. _Smart, handsome, _and_ a business man. A good choice if he actually showed that caring side once in a while, but since he still doesn't know…_

"Oh what a hard life you're going to have, Ko-chan. Three boys after you and you're as clueless as my darling Haruhi." Ranka sighed and headed towards said daughter, wishing Kohaku good luck. _She'll definitely need it._

* * *

_What do you think, Fu-kun? Chocolate or vanilla pudding? _I held a finger to my chin, glancing back and forth between the two choices, before looking up to stare at Fu-kun in question. _**How about…chocolate vanilla swirl?**_ I slapped myself in the face.

"of course! Why didn't I think of that?!"

A few fellow shoppers stared, but it was simple to just ignore them especially since I spotted the frozen food isle.

"Ah! I forgot to ask Tamaki-kun about the ice cream! Fu-kun! Why didn't you remind me?!"

_**Don't blame me! I forgot too!**_ I groaned and hurried to the veggies, where I last saw Tamaki and Haruhi. Sure enough, the two of them were over there picking out cabbage.

"Chinese cabbage is cheap." Haruhi said. "Do you like cabbage, Tamaki-senpai?"

"Yes."

"Do you like ice cream?" I asked, poking my head between them, scaring them both.

"Kohaku!"

"Wah! Ko-kun!" Tamaki whined. "You scared me!"

I chuckled. "Sorry about that, but I promised to get you some ice cream and forgot to ask what your favorite flavor was."

His eyes began tearing up again. "Y-You're really going to get me some?"

"Well, yeah. It's tough dealing with parents sometimes. Even more so when it's someone else's."

He jumped me with a hug, as expected. "You're so nice, Ko-kun! I'll eat whatever ice cream you pick, but my favorite is the commoner's red bean!"

I nodded with a laugh, trying to pry Tamaki off me. "Okay! Okay! You've got to let me go so I can get it though!"

"Sorry, Ko-kun!" He apologized as he released me.

"it's not problem, _Tou-san_." I replied, turning and walking back to the freezer section with a smirk as I heard him attack Haruhi.

"Did you hear, Haruhi?! Ko-kun called me Tou-san!"

_And _that,_ dear Haruhi, is revenge for pulling on my ear all day._

"Ah, sweet revenge."

I smiled to myself, pulling my cart along behind me as I reached for the ice cream. Looking through the shelves, I pulled out a pint of red bean ice cream for Tamaki and began trolling for my own favorites. _A pint of green tea, another pint of red bean and a pint of plum wine…And now some normal flavors…Let's see…French vanilla, sherbet, raspberry, and…hm, should I get cherry cordial?_

I held up a gallon of cherry cordial ice cream, debating on whether I should get it or not. Technically, I had more than enough ice cream, but this was my favorite. The only other problem was, that it was only available in the gallon size and not pint. I frowned in thought as someone picked an ice cream off the shelf next to me to look at it.

"Is that what you're interested in?"

I blinked, before turning and seeing Kyoya, who had picked up the ice cream and was currently staring at the nutrition facts. He pushed up his glasses and glanced-more like glared-at where Shindo was with the twins. Turning to watch the three as Haruhi pushed them out of the store, I answered him.

"Yeah. Is there something _wrong_ with my preferences?"

He seemed almost…_angry_ at my response, but I couldn't figure out why. _I mean, we were just talking about my choice in excessive amounts of ice cream, right? Why's he getting all upset?_ He suddenly put the ice cream he was holding, back, and glared at me dangerously.

"And here I thought you'd be a bit more intelligent than that."

_What? What does being intelligent have to do with what ice cream I choose? Ugh. This is starting to piss me off. _Scowling, I called him out on it, in no mood to play riddles after how little sleep I'd gotten last night.

"What the hell's your problem?"

He blatantly ignored me and turned around, walking off stiffly and arrogantly. I went to confront him, but all of a sudden, a huge wall stood in front of me. Looking up, I blinked in confusion at Mori's appearance.

"Uh…hey, Takashi-kun. Is there something you need?"

"Haruhi-san told me to help."

He pointed behind me at the cart, half full of groceries, and I nodded in understanding. _Haruhi must've told him to help me carry the groceries._ I normally get this amount and carry it all home myself as exercise, since I haven't been by the boxing gym as much lately, but I suppose some help would be nice. _Especially since I messed up my wrist not long ago. I'll just have to bug Kyoya later._

Taking my cart to the cashier, putting in the gallon of ice cream first of course, I paid and passed off some of the groceries to Mori. He seemed to be zoning out though, and I wondered if I had given him too much or if he was worried about something.

"You okay, Takashi-kun? You seem a bit…distracted."

He looked down at me before pointing at Shindo outside, laughing with the twins.

"What? You want to know about Shindo-kun?" he nodded and I sighed. _Maybe I can at least clear things up with him. I can't be too direct about it though, or he won't believe me. _"Yeah, well, we bumped into each other a few months ago and just met up again today as I went to drop off my manuscript. Why? Is something wrong, Takashi-kun?" _Was I not direct enough?_

He glanced down at me again with, what I thought was, a troubled expression. But he turned away too quickly for me to be sure, and shook his head.

"Un."

I raised a brow. _He said 'no', but he's not acting like it._ There was a loud '_thud_' from nearby and I winced as I saw Mori run into a pole just outside the store. _Well great, I've somehow managed to tick Kyoya off and upset Mori all in the span of twenty minutes. Why does this always happen to me?_ I sighed, walking behind the others as we headed back to the apartments; watching the group as they interacted cheerfully with one another.

It was interesting, to say the least, watching them all act like one big, dysfunctional family. And I thought about my own family and what they were doing now that I was gone. _They've probably gotten over it, just as I am trying to._

"What are you doing back there, Kohaku?!" Haruhi shouted, hands cupped around her mouth. "All the fun's up here!"

I smiled, forgetting my previous worries and hurriedly caught up with them to join in their laughter. We were soon back at the apartments though and, after enlisting Shindo and Mori's help to put away my groceries, we all gathered around Haruhi's kotatsu and ate the hot pot she had prepared. I helped Tamaki out again as Ranka stacked up a mound of vegetables in his bowl, and got as much meat as I could, passing some to him when Ranka wasn't looking.

After everyone was done and getting ready to leave, my worry returned. Kyoya was the first out the door, only saying goodbye to Ranka; then the twins, who made sure to whisper to Shindo and grin at me before leaving. Honey gave me a hug, thanking me for the pudding I gave him after dinner, but Mori left without so much as a glance in my direction. I was worried for a minute, but didn't get to dwell on it as Tamaki hugged me.

"Thank you." He whispered in my ear as he released me and hurried out the door to catch up with everyone.

I smiled softly, knowing that despite his carefree attitude, he really did care about Haruhi and what her father thought of him. _Overprotective fathers are always though, from what I heard._

"Don't I get a hug, Ko-chan?"

I scowled at Shindo's voice and reluctantly allowed the man to hug me.

"This doesn't mean I forgive you for lying, Shindo-kun."

"Darn. I was hoping it would."

I shook my head. "No. Not at all."

He let go and smiled his usual grin, ignoring my tone and heading to the door to leave as well.

"Oh well. Just means we can have more fun later, Ko-chan!"

He waved and turned to go, but I soon remembered that the twins had said something to him before they left. Hurrying outside, I leaned against the railing and shouted down to him.

"Wait!" He looked back at me. "What did the twins say to you?!"

His face lit up and I was actually scared of what he was going to say.

"It's a secret!"

_And_ now I wasn't. I dropped my head on the bar and groaned; Shindo's laughter ringing through the air. Walking back inside, I was confronted by Haruhi, who had easily spotted my angered expression.

"What'd he say?"

I frowned. "'It's a secret'. That's what he said…jerk."

Haruhi sighed with a smile and even Ranka giggled from the living room. Rolling my eyes, I packed up my things, putting on my coat and shoes for like the fourth time today.

"You leaving too?" Haruhi asked and I gave a short nod.

"Yeah. I won't be able to sleep just yet, so I was planning on dropping by the gym."

"Oh…"

She sounded a bit disappointed and I raised a brow at her.

"You want to come?"

Flustered at being caught, Haruhi stuttered and waved her hand erratically.

"W-What? I-I-I can't do that!"

Chuckling, I finished and stood up. "You wouldn't have to do anything but watch, and I'll keep the guys away if that's what you're worried about. Besides, I know you're only trying to get away from Ranka-cha-"

She slammed a hand over my mouth as Ranka poked his head out of the living room.

"Somebody called?"

Licking Haruhi's hand so she let go, I smiled as her eyes widened in shock; thinking that I was going to rat her out.

"Haruhi's just going to come with me to the gym and watch me work out. Is that okay, Ranka-san?"

He smiled back. "Of course! I have no problem with it. Just don't talk to strangers and come home safely or I'll have to come down there and get you myself."

I laughed, shoving Haruhi out the door. "Wouldn't dream of doing anything otherwise, Ranka-chan. See you later!"

"Bye Ko-chan! Haruhi!"

He waved as I closed the door, leaving me to chuckle at Haruhi as she folded her arms and glared at me. I just gave her a grin and stopped by my own apartment, to put a muscle shirt on under my sweater and grab my duffle bag. Walking back out and locking the door, Haruhi followed me as we headed out.

"If you want to listen to music or anything while we're there, help yourself to my bag. I have snacks, water, and my ipod in there. They normally have music playing, so I won't really need it." I said to break any tension.

"What do you do there?"

"Boxing mostly. Mixed martial arts too. Then we occasionally have matches in the ring to prove ourselves or finish arguments."

"Huh? Arguments?!"

"Yup." I said, matter-of-factly. "There's a lot of guys there who argue about who's better and stuff. The owner usually sends them into the ring so they can settle the arguments the old fashioned way."

"H-Have _you_ been in the ring?"

I closed my eyes and nodded. "Well, yeah. I'm the only girl who goes there. I've been challenged a couple of times because they don't think I can take them." I then winked at her. "I haven't lost a match yet."

Opening the door to the establishment, a chorus of people called out, surprising Haruhi.

"**Hey, Kohaku-kun!"**

I briefly waved and went over to my usual place in the back, stripping off my coat, sweater, and boots. Haruhi fidgeted nervously on the bench next to my bag with Fu-kun curled up on her lap.

"T-They all know you?"

I looked around the room. "Yeah, most of them anyway. There's a couple I haven't seen before, but yeah, they know me."

"They call you 'Kohaku-kun' though."

"Because I told them to." I said as I pulled on my gloves and began warming up. "They know me well enough to know that anyone who calls me 'chan' gets a death sentence."

I grinned evilly as I landed a solid, heavy punch on the punching bag, making Haruhi jump. Stopping the bag from swaying, I gave Haruhi a look.

"Oh, lighten up. Listen to some music or something. I'm sure you'll like something in there."

"Hey, Kohaku-kun!"

I turned at the familiar voice and smiled brightly as I saw the muscled man walking towards me. I swung my hand up and grabbed his, gripping tightly as though we were arm wrestling, before pulling towards him and slapping him on the back.

"How ya doing, coach?"

He laughed a deep, throaty laugh, letting go of my hand after returning the slap on my back.

"Aha! I've been good! It's been a while since I've seen you here though. Where've you been?"

"I had a deadline. I need to get back in shape though, and relieve some stress. You know how it is." I then remembered Haruhi and gesture towards her. "Oh, and this is my friend Haruhi Fujioka. She's only here to watch and get away from her overprotective dad."

I felt Haruhi punch me in the arm and just laughed as she frowned at me; slight shock on her face when I didn't whine about her punch like I normally do.

"Haruhi, this is my coach and the owner of the gym, Tobi Sakamoto."

They shook hands ad I noticed Haruhi wince a bit at the man's strength.

"Weak thing, aren't you?"

I rolled my eyes. "She's only here to watch, coach."

He laughed again. "Ahaha! I just saw the hair cut and thought she was another one like you. Sorry about that, kid."

Haruhi waved it off as her eyes shouted at me just how uncomfortable she was. Heeding her plea, I turned back to the bag, speaking over my shoulder.

"Go pester the others, coach, and turn up the music, would ya?"

"Oh? Getting serious already, I see. I'll be right on it, but…" He came closer to me and I raised a brow. "Watch out for the two guys in the far left corner. They're hounds."

I discreetly nodded and he walked off, the music being turned up once he reached the small office he had.

"What'd he say?" Haruhi asked. "Hounds?"

"Yup. He's warning me that the two guys are hounds; in search of a fox, but almost all bark with very little bite. Now, if he said 'shepherd' I'd be a bit more worried."

I began punching the bag again, talking as I finished up my warm up.

"'Shepherd' means ex-military, protective, prideful, and quite a bit of bite. I've dealt with an occasional one of those, but they're rare." I stopped and smiled at her. "No worries, Haru-chan. I can easily take care of a hound."

She nodded warily and I went on to do my exercises, drowning out the world around me.

* * *

Haruhi sat petting Fu-kun on her lap as Kohaku became absorbed in what she was doing. She was a bit worried about the men that the owner had warned them about, but when Kohaku said those last words, Haruhi felt a sense of security surround her. She felt that Kohaku _could_ protect her should those men start anything, but that didn't mean Kohaku would come out unscathed. And _that_ was what she was truly worried about.

As she watched Kohaku punch the bag though, that worry slowly began to fade away. _She's really into this. She's so focused, I don't even think that she's aware of everyone around her anymore. This is definitely something she loves to do. I can tell. The smile on her face gives everything away._

It was true too. Sweat rolled down Kohaku's face, but there was a smile there as she punched away at the bag. Every ounce of her being was solely focused on hitting it and Haruhi began to lose track as she switched up her moves; Kohaku mentally planning each one. _Left, right, right, left, left, right kick, left spinning back hand, right, jump back, duck, up, another right kick, spinning left ankle kick-_

The mantra kept changing, switching between punches and kicks with surprising accuracy and speed. Every one, precise and full of strength and anger. Kohaku was angry now. Even Haruhi could see that. The way her stance had changed into something more aggressive; the way she clenched her jaw; the power packed behind her punches and kicks. Every move Kohaku made, expressed such fury that Haruhi questioned just _who_ she was angry with.

It wouldn't be easy to figure out though, because she wasn't fighting a person. She was fighting herself, pushing herself to the limit and getting angry at her weaknesses. Just then, with a final punch, Kohaku stopped.

Her breath came out sharp, but controlled. The sweat rolling down her body and dripping off the end of her nose and arms. Calming herself, she moved out of her offensive stance and walked over to her bag, pulling out a water bottle and drinking deeply.

"Are you upset about something, Kohaku?"

She stopped drinking and wiped her chin with the back of her arm.

"Yeah. I normally am."

Haruhi blinked a few times at Kohaku's blunt response, not having expected her to actually answer so…_truthfully_. Kohaku took no notice though, and wiped her face with a small towel as two figures approached them.

"You two need something?" Kohaku asked, not even looking in the two men's direction as she put away her towel.

The first man, taller than the other by a good couple of inches, stood up to his full height and tried to be as imposing and threatening as possible.

"Yeah. I asked where I could get a good fight and they sent me over here. I never thought they'd end up sending me to fight some scrawny chick."

"Then go. I'm not in the mood to deal with a couple of mutts."

Haruhi turned to Kohaku in shock. _I-I thought she was trying to get them to leave, not encourage them!_ The two men glared, obviously not happy about Kohaku's insults, and Haruhi tried to fix the situation before a fight could break out.

"W-What she meant to say is, if you're not interested, maybe someone else will fight you."

Kohaku's gaze shifted to Haruhi; becoming more cautious as she spotted one of the men step closer to her.

"Oh? And what's a cute girl like you doing here?"

Haruhi leaned back on the bench as the man came closer, but Kohaku stepped between the two; an eerily calm expression on her face.

"I suggest you back off before you end up losing some teeth."

"Really? I bet you're just trying to act all tough when in reality you're so scared you might wet yourself."

The man leaned down slightly, holding Kohaku's chin in one of his large hands. Almost as though time had stopped, everyone in the gym were watching to see what was going to happen. Tobi in particular, grinned; tapping one of the other guys and handing him a twenty dollar bill.

"Kohaku's going to knock him flat. Go grab the guys some gear. I'm betting ten minutes without cheats."

The guy nodded and hurried off to get some protective gear, just as Kohaku made her move.

"You have three seconds to let me go before I break your nose."

"How scary." The man replied sarcastically, not moving an inch just to see what she'd do.

"One."

The man returned with the gear, handing it off to Tobi.

"Two."

The group of guys in the building began to surround the boxing ring, awaiting the match that was certainly going to happen, while making bets.

"Three."

Kohaku moved so fast, Haruhi had to actually look at the unconscious man's bleeding nose in order to realize something even happened at all. The moment Kohaku had said 'three', she hit him straight on and broke his nose just as she said she would.

The second man, at having seen what had happened to his friend, went to take a shot at Kohaku. She saw it coming too, but didn't move as the fist approached. She only stared at it blankly, when it was stopped; Tobi having grabbed the man's wrist with a grin.

"Now listen here, Misao. You may be my nephew, but we have some rules here. And one of them, is there are no fights outside of the ring." He passed the gear over to him. "So if you're going to fight, that's the only place to do it."

Tobi let go of his arm, and Misao roughly grabbed the gear and walked towards the ring, giving Kohaku one last look.

"You never told me he was your nephew, coach." Kohaku said, messing up her, already messy, hair.

"Didn't I? Aha! It doesn't matter though. His parents sent him here to get him under control anyway. The boy's a delinquent and needs some authority beat into him. I'm just glad it's _you_ who's knocking him off his high horse. Lord knows he needs it."

Kohaku rolled her eyes and headed over towards Haruhi, who was still shocked at what had happened.

"You okay, Haru-chan?"

She shakily nodded. "Y-Yeah. That just…surprised me, is all."

"Heh. Sorry about that. I wouldn't have made you come if I'd known this was going to happen."

Haruhi closed her eyes and sighed. "No, it's okay. You were right about me wanting to get away from my dad for a while, and I'm actually glad you brought me here. I can see just how much you enjoy it."

They smiled at each other, before Kohaku went back to Tobi.

"Watch over her for me, coach, while I'm taking care of your nephew."

"Sure thing, kid. Give him what for! I got twenty bucks riding on the first ten minutes!"

Kohaku laughed, before stepping into the ring and putting in a mouth guard. She gave a thumbs-up to Tobi and the match began.

* * *

"What the- Where the hell's your protective gear?!" Misao shouted at me from across the ring, gesturing to his head gear.

"I prefer going without, especially when I'm fighting someone as weak as you."

The man growled and I mentally chuckled. _This _is what I needed. I needed to think, plan, _move_. That's why I went to this gym. To get my blood pumping.

"Remember the rules!" Tobi shouted and he hit on old, metal fighting bell, signaling the start of the match.

_I wonder how Kyoya would do in one of these. _I thought, dodging a punch from Misao and kicking him hard on the thigh. _If anything, it definitely makes you think and plan ahead; something he likes to do anyway._ Misao aimed a kick at my head and I blocked it with my forearms, ignoring the ache from just how much pressure he put behind it. _He doesn't seem like the active type though. But that doesn't mean that he shouldn't try it out. He might actually enjoy taking off his glasses and just roughing it out._

I frowned, spinning and landing a decent kick to Misao's jaw, knocking him to the ground. _That sent my mind to an odd place. _Shaking off the thought, I looked down at my opponent with a single raised brow.

"I thought you said _I _was supposed to be the one ready to wet my pants?"

He growled and stood up, immediately swinging a fist at my face that I easily dodged. _Anger dulls the mind._

"Oh, come on now. There's no fun in a direct attack. I can read your moves before they even happen, Misao-san."

"Shut up!"

He swung his arm out but instead of punching me like I thought he would, he grabbed a hold of my muscle shirt. Now, I have dealt with rule breakers before and, pulling my shirt to hit me-be it with their elbow or head (both illegal moves)-seemed to be a fan favorite. Thus, I knew how to counter it; without removing my shirt of course.

While Misao expected me to move back, I actually moved forward and dropped to the ground. This, threw him off balance and, with his forward momentum, I was able to put my foot on his stomach and flip him onto the mat. I got up, brushing myself off, when I suddenly heard Haruhi shout.

"Kohaku!"

My mind switched into slow motion as I turned to her, thinking something was wrong. When I saw her pointing her finger behind me, that's when I realized my mistake. _Never turn your back to an opponent._

Misao's elbow hit me across the temple and my mind went blank instantly. I could feel myself falling and could hear the voices shouting in the background, but only one stood out above the others.

"Kohaku!"

_Ah…I told her not to worry…Best not disappoint!_ My eyes shot open and my hands stopped my descent, giving me the leverage I needed to deliver a solid kick to Misao's chin. My breathing was ragged and my vision a bit tunneled, but I stood up straight and turned with a huge grin; putting my hands behind my head.

"I win~"

A chorus of cheers rang out and coach ordered a few guys to take care of Misao and his friend, as he collected his winnings. He then came over and help me out of the ring, lightly patting me on the back and giving my head a look.

"Good job out there, kid. How's your head? I'll definitely be sure to give that boy a lesson after what he just pulled."

"I'll be okay, but I'll probably have one heck of a headache tomorrow."

He nodded. "Okay then. As long as you're okay. I'll make sure Misao and his friend apologize before you go."

I gave him a wave and walked over to Haruhi, who'd been waiting for me. Suddenly though, I felt a heavy pain in my chest. I couldn't recall Misao ever landing a hit on me aside from the elbow to my head, so I immediately knew something was seriously wrong. I tried to ignore the pain, but it grew in intensity and, before I could reach Haruhi, I was on my knees clutching my chest. I couldn't seem to catch my breath at all and even I became worried.

Was I going to die? Am I having a heart attack? I didn't know, but the pain was unbearable. _**Calm down, kid. **_Fu-kun's voice rand in my head. _**This is something that needs to happen, but it'll pass.**__ What?…What's happening? Fu-kun, what's going on? __**Someone has died. A relative from your world. **__No…_

"Kohaku! Kohaku! Are you okay?!"

I could suddenly breathe again and, although some of the pain was still there, it was over.

"Y-Yeah. I…I think so." I muttered, taking her offered hand and getting up.

"What was that? You had me worried! I was thinking you were really hurt!"

"I-I…I don't know." I pulled a hand through my hair. "I-I seriously don't know."

She gave me a worried look as I slowly packed up my bag, still in a daze. _Fu-kun…Will this happen every time? Every time a relative back there…dies…will this happen?_ The ferret scrambled into the hood of my coat, his cold nose brushing my neck. _**No. I will stop after this one…and I'm sorry, kid.**_

Haruhi and I left, only being stopped once when Misao and his friend apologized. No words were exchanged the whole walk home, Haruhi seeming to know something was wrong, and we only gave each other brief goodbyes when I shut the door. I took off my boots and turned on some music. Collapsing in the bright red velvet chair, I held my head in my hands and let everything hit me all at once. Tears streamed down my cheeks, pattering onto the floor and I sobbed. My grandmother had just died.

* * *

"Wherever You Are"

By One Okay Rock

_Dedicated to Benetta Eddards_

_R.I.P_

_October 15, 1935-January 18, 2013_

* * *

**2: Okay. The second question is fairly simple. I want to know if you want to see Misao come up more in future chapters. My friend and I were arguing about it and she wants to see him more, but I feel like another character now would be too much. So we decided to let you guys, my reviewers, make the decision ^^ I would normally make this a poll or something, but most people respond through their review so...yeah. **

**Anyway, please help me out by answering these questions for me and, just to let you know before I get any questions about it, this chapter is dedicated to my grandmother, who's probably up in heaven camping out with my grandpa. **


	11. Chapter 9

**Okay, I know you guys will like this chapter, mostly because I updated so fast! But also because this chapter finally gives Kohaku some crazy experiences! ^^ I'm not going to spoil it for you though. So read and find out more! Also, due to some minor complaints, i put in point of views (POV) before line breaks to try and ease some confusion. ;) Please inform me if anyone is too OOC in this! I try my best to keep the ouran characters in character, but sometimes it's a bit hard.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything associated with Ouran nor do I own the two songs below. I only own Kohaku, Shindo, Fu-kun, and any other miniscule characters I invented.**

**Dedicated to my best friend who has been nagging me to finish writing this chapter for days on end and is the Watson to my Sherlock ;) I could never have a better skull to talk to.**

* * *

"Carry On"  
By Fun

"_Though I've never been through hell like that  
I've closed enough windows  
To know you can never look back  
If you're lost and alone  
Or you're sinking like a stone  
Carry on  
May your past be the sound  
Of your feet upon the ground  
Carry on"  
_

* * *

_"Be Okay"  
By Ingrid Michaelson_

"Open me up and you will see  
I'm a gallery of broken hearts  
I'm beyond repair, let me be  
And give me back my broken parts

I just want to know today(x2),  
I just want to know something today  
I just want to know today(x2),  
Know that maybe I will be ok"

* * *

Valentine's Day. The festival most dear to any young lady. And the extraordinary wealthy ladies of Ouran are no exception. Their conversation turns to what trinkets to bestow on the men in their hearts. There is another though, who was dying for that day to arrive.

"Honey-kun, what kinds of chocolates would you like this year?" One girl asked the blonde lolita sitting a few couches down from me.

"Mousse? Bon-bons? What color ribbon?"

"I'd be happy with any! I love chocolates and you all too!"

The girls around him squealed, igniting my already intense headache. I groaned and curled up into myself on the window sill, glad that no one had designated me yet, but I knew it wasn't avoidable.

"Kohaku-kun, straighten up! You have guests!" Kyoya said from across the room, sentencing me to my doom as he sent four overly-cheerful girls to my couch.

I got up from the window, hoping to be able to put on a smile and grin and bare it, but my vision wobbled and I grabbed the nearest stable object just to stay on my feet.

"Woah! You okay there, Kohaku-kun?"

It was Kaoru. _I think. My head's so messed up I don't even know who's who right now._

"Yeah. I'm fine."

I let go of him and began to walk off, but he wouldn't have that. He grabbed my bruised forearm and I winced, gritting my teeth as he pulled me back.

"Fine? You don't look fine, You look like you're going to collapse any second now!"

Tearing my arm from his grip, I turned to him with a worn out glare.

"It doesn't matter. I need to host today or else I'll have more problems on my hands."

"I know about your family, Kohaku." Kaoru said suddenly, dropping the suffix from my name, and making me stop in my tracks. "Ranka-san told us… and I may not know what you're going through, but I know what it's like to be alone, believe it or not." He sighed and pulled a hand through his hair. "Just…try to tell us about it, okay? We may not understand what's happening, but that doesn't mean we can't help."

I nodded. "Okay…Thanks, Kaoru-kun."

He seemed a bit surprised, but laughed. "No problem, but you can drop the 'kun', Kohaku. We're friends, right?"

I gave him a small smile. "Yeah." _I need to tell them. _"Hey, Kaoru?"

"Hm?"

"Can you and Hikaru stay after hosting on Valentine's Day? I…need to tell you something."

He smiled, probably sensing my nervousness.

"I'm sure we can do that."

I gave him another nod, just as a shout rang across the room.

"Kohaku-kun!"

I rolled my eyes. "Yes mother." I called out to Kyoya and walked over to my guests.

"H-Hello, ladies. Sorry t-to keep you waiting."

"It's okay, Kohaku-kun."

"Yeah. We don't mind."

I smiled slightly. "So, a-are you excited for Valentine's Day?"

They all nodded eagerly and I mentally chuckled. _Girls can be so cute sometimes. Like baby animals.__** What about me?**_ Fu-kun asked, tumbling out of my blazer and onto my lap. _Yes. I suppose you're cute too, when you want to be. _I smiled down at him, scratching his head.

"U-Um, Kohaku-senpai?"

My head snapped up. "Yes?"

The girl, obviously one of my more shy guests, fidgeted in her seat; keeping her gaze on the floor.

"W-What kind of c-chocolate do you want for Valentine's Day?"

I blinked at her, having never had anyone ask me something like that. Valentine's Day was never a big deal to me, since I'd never actually _had_ a valentine; other than in elementary school where _everyone_ was your valentine. The most I'd ever gotten, was chocolates from my grandmother. _Stop it. Just don't think about it._

"I-Is something wrong, Kohaku-senpai?"

Having forgotten where I was for a moment, I adjusted myself, putting on a smile-albeit fake-on my face.

"Nothing's wrong. I-I just have a headache, is all. B-But, I'm happy with any chocolate you g-give me. I'm k-kind of like Honey-kun when it comes t-t-to sweets."

"Really?"

"Yup. I-I like chocolate covered fruit a-and chocolate raisins the best. If w-we're talking about r-r-regular candy though, I really like gummy bears and r-red licorice."

The girls had blushes on their faces as I fantasized about candy, when Fu-kun piped in. _**Ahem.**_

"Oh! And Fu-kun c-can't really have chocolate, but he loves bananas a-and strawberries."

I held him up and the girls cooed, the sound of Haruhi and Tamaki's conversation drifting over.

"Honey-senpai is in a great mood, isn't he? But he eats chocolate every day and night."

"Innocent Haruhi!" Tamaki said. "Valentine's Day is the day when his barometer for chocolate hits the top! Besides, receiving chocolate is a huge compliment for any man, right?"

I turned back to the guests at my table, apologizing.

"S-Sorry, but would you excuse me?"

"Aw, already?" One girl said, sadly.

I gave her a small smile. "Only for a m-minute. I'll leave Fu-kun here…i-if you want."

"Okay!"

"But come back soon!"

Nodding, I handed Fu-kun off and headed over towards Tamaki, holding my head.

"You know that's not always true, Tamaki-kun." That caught his attention and I lowered my hand. "As much a-as I like chocolate and sweets, I don't take it as a compliment. I take it because someone went through a lot of hard work to make it, and it would be a shame to let it go to waste."

"Wow…that was-" Haruhi was interrupted by kya-ing girls, who had apparently been listening in.

"That's so cool, Kohaku-kun!"

"I never knew you thought that way!"

"I'll make sure to bring you some chocolate!"

"Me too!"

The noise was starting to get to me and I _really_ didn't want the girls crowding around me, so I hid behind the one person in the room who could-and _would_-help me.

"Haruhi," I whimpered, ducking behind her. "Make it stop. It's too loud."

She sighed, politely asking the guests to disperse and I poked my head back out once they were gone.

"How's your headache?" She asked and I winced.

"Painful, but I can't just _not_ host the days leading up to Valentine's Day. Kyoya-kun would kill me."

I took a peek at said person and, as though he knew I was looking at him, he turned to me and flashed his glasses.

"I know what you mean." Haruhi muttered, having seen our interaction.

"Yeah. I'm afraid to even _ask_ for a day off. He's angry with me about something too."

"You don't know?"

I shook my head as Tamaki pouted in a corner for being ignored.

"I don't. He asked me 'if that was my preference' as I was shopping for ice cream, and I told him 'yeah, is there something wrong with that' and he stormed off."

"Well, maybe you should ask him. I'm sure if you ask the right question, he'll answer."

Glancing back at him, I responded, unsure. "I guess."

"Oh, and what should I do about you for Valentine's Day?"

"Huh. I haven't actually thought about it. I would say keep it until we head home, but I _am_ planning on telling Hikaru and Kaoru that day."

She gave me a worried look. "Are you sure? I thought you wanted them to figure it out."

I purposely messed up my hair in frustration. "I _do_ want them to figure it out, but…it's just…ugh, how do I explain this?"

She pat me on the shoulder. "Just tell me later. It looks like Tamaki-senpai wants to bug me about something."

Sure enough, Tamaki had managed to get away from the pestering twins and came over with a grin on his face.

"Haruhi! Incidentally, I love any kind of chocolate, but I'd be happier with homemade!"

He struck a pose, holding up a peace sign, and Haruhi gave a dull 'oh' in response. They stood there for a moment, when Tamaki began to repeat himself, thinking Haruhi hadn't heard him properly.

"I'd be happier-"

"You don't have to repeat it. I heard you."

"Er…well…I was wondering if Haruhi was going to give chocolate to her father." Tamaki said nervously, gesturing to himself, but Haruhi didn't notice.

"Of course." She said, lifting Tamaki's spirits only to bring them crashing back down to Earth. "It'd be better get some for my real father. I need to get some for you too, Kohaku. I should make them sugar-free though, you consume too much sugar anyway."

"Aw, that's not fair." I whined. "Honey-kun eats five _times_ as much sugar as me and you're not making _his_ sugar-free! Besides, I need my sugar! I can't function without it!"

"Like I believe that." She scoffed, picking up her forgotten tea tray and wandering over to Honey as he stuffed another forkful of cake in his mouth.

_Uh-oh. _I thought. _I can't believe I didn't realize this sooner, but Honey's going to have a cavity. Which means…aw man! No sweets for three days! I'll die! Unless…I can find some way to sneak them in. _I frowned in thought. _I'll have to. Sorry Honey, but you might be on your own on this one._

"Honey-senpai, are you still eating cake?" Haruhi asked, setting the tea down at his table. "You'll get cavities, you know."

"Don't worry! I brush my teeth properly."

_Maybe I should stop him. _I contemplated._ But would stopping that one piece of cake keep the cavity from showing up? I doubt it. _I fidgeted nonetheless. _Poor Mori too._ My conscious won out in the end, and I went over to his table the moment the fork entered his mouth. Pain flickered across his face for a brief instance, and he lowered his fork.

"Honey-senpai?" Haruhi questioned; a knowing yet disbelieving look on her face.

"It's nothing…" He murmured.

Haruhi, the twins, and I quickly surrounded Honey and began to try and pry his mouth open to confirm out fears.

"Open your mouth just a little!"

"It's nothing. I said it's nothing." Honey called out, trying his hardest to keep his mouth shut.

"**Honey-senpai, hold still!"**

He continued to struggle and I hurried and began barking orders to control the situation.

"Kaoru! Hikaru! Grab his legs!"

"**Right!"**

"Haruhi, try and pull away one of his hands!"

"O-Okay!"

With that done, I moved in to grab his other hand but, seeing that I would accomplish my goal, he struggled even further.

"No! No! I'm okay! It's nothing!"

One of the twins lost his grip on Honey's leg, stumbling back, as said appendage hit me hard in the shin. I grit my teeth, but grabbed Honey's chin in one of my hands just as Mori walked in the door.

"Mori-senpai, come quick!" Hikaru shouted.

"It's a cavity!" I responded as well, and immediately we all moved aside as Mori threw Honey on the couch, prying Honey's mouth open.

The guests went nuts, excited at the position Mori and Honey were in, but I sat back down on the window sill; rubbing my, probably bruised, shin. My head still hurt and I mentally groaned, knowing what was going to happen the moment Mori lifted his gaze.

"Tamaki-kun."

"Ah…yes, understood." Clearing his throat, he addressed the guests. "Until Honey-senpai's cavity is taken care of, sweets are off limits! Also, to show our support, our club will refrain from participating in Valentine's Day this year!"

"**No!"** Honey and I called out.

What could I say? Even if I _did_ know this was going to happen, that didn't mean I wanted it to.

"Now way, Takashi! It doesn't hurt! It doesn't hurt!"

"It's prohibited." Mori said stoically and Honey cried loudly.

I followed suit, hugging Honey, as we both watched the hosts removing anything sweet from the room. Feeling someone's foot nudging me, I glanced up at the confused twins.

"Why are…"

"…you crying…"

"…**too?"**

"T-This means I can't have anything either! I'll die without sugar!"

"**You can't be serious."** They sweat dropped and Haruhi came over, rolling her eyes.

"Kohaku eats just as much as Honey-senpai in pure sugar. Not as much _cake_, but between pudding, ice cream, soda, and candy…" Haruhi sighed. "He'll probably have to stay over at my house or he'd be snacking the moment he came home."

"T-That's not true!" I said confidently. "If Honey-kun can do it, so can I!"

"Really?" Haruhi asked in disbelief.

"Y-Yes?"

"Uh-huh." She said, tossing my bag at me as Fu-kun wandered up to my shoulders. "We'll see about that."

Thus began mine and Honey's days of misery.

* * *

**(No one's POV)**

* * *

Host Club guests usually gather in groups and keep an eye out for their favorite Host Club members, and today was no different. The only thing that changed, was the topic of their conversation.

"Aw, I feel so sorry for Honey-kun." One guest said, watching Honey, Kohaku, and Mori walk to the club room. "I've heard the Host Club isn't participating in Valentine's Day."

"It must be hard on him, Kohaku-kun too. He likes sweets just as much, or so I heard."

The other girls nodded, when one spoke up.

"I know I shouldn't say this, but Honey-kun looks like-"

"**A bunny rabbit!"**

As the girls kya-ed over Honey's bandage, Mori leaned over to Honey.

"Mitsukuni, your bag."

"I can carry it myself." Honey said sadly.

"That's not it. Show me."

Handing over his bag, Mori turned it upside down, allowing for all the candy Honey had to come tumbling out. Having been caught, Honey grew more depressed. Patting him on the back, Kohaku sighed. "Sorry, Honey-kun."

"Kohaku."

"Hm?" Kohaku glanced up at Mori, who held his hand out.

"Bag."

He took her bag and, doing the same thing he did with Honey's, he dumped out a pile of candy, pudding, and soda bottles.

"Uh…I was just looking?"

"Uh-huh." Honey said, backing her up. "We weren't going to eat any."

"Really?" Mori asked, taking both of their bags and handing them two pamphlets of assorted sweets. "If you just want to look, then here. It's just like the real thing."

Honey's eyes welled up as Kohaku used the back of her hand to wipe a spot of drool. Not far from them, one of the guests sighed as she spoke with her friend.

"It's too bad. I already bought a bunch of chocolate for Honey-kun and Kohaku-kun."

Catching both of their attentions, Kohaku and Honey watched as the girl promised to give the chocolate to her friend. Honey began crying again and Kohaku sniffed at the loss of her own sweets, as Haruhi and the twins watched from a distance.

""**Ouch. That's pretty rough."**

"Well, you've got to be tough with those two. Kohaku especially. He had to sleep over at my place just to keep him from eating sweets. His house is full of them."

"Yeah, well, I didn't realize Mori-senpai could be that firm. I never thought he'd do anything to upset Honey-senpai." Hikaru said with a shrug.

"Hikaru-kun, Kaoru-kun, aren't you upset about skipping Valentine's Day?"

"It would be suicide to accept chocolate when Honey-senpai isn't getting any." Kaoru stated.

"And anyway, it's a bother to exchange gifts."

"Every year we need an extra car just to lug back all the candy."

The two of them shrugged, ignoring the other guys around them who were upset. Thinking about it, Hikaru put a hand to his chin.

"The only ones disappointed are milord and Mori-senpai's fans. They're mostly the shy types, but more than that, most of them are in earnest. Usually Mori-senpai accepts their chocolates warmly. That's his way of rejecting their love."

_Tamaki? Well, he _is_ a drama king. _Haruhi thought. _And poor Mori-senpai too. This has to be hard for both him and Honey._ Then she suddenly remembered something.

"Oh, hey. I need to go by the library. I have a book I need to return."

"**Okay."**

"We'll go to the club…"

"…ahead of you then."

They waved and split up, going their own directions. When the twins reached the club room, they were a bit surprised at Tamaki's cheerful mood.

"Tamaki-sama, I'm so disappointed. I really wanted you to taste the custom-made chocolates from my patisserie…"

"Don't be sad, my lady. It was probably better this way." Tamaki clutched his guest's hands tightly. "No matter how elegant the chocolates, it would have melted away from the passion of our love. Our promise need not be tangible!"

"Tamaki-sama!"

"**We needn't have worried about him."** The twins sweat dropped and as Tamaki walked over, Hikaru gave him a high five. **"Wondrous, milord. Nice act."**

"Naturally! No matter what circumstance, customer satisfaction is our top priority!" Posing dramatically, he began a monologue. "To begin with, to wheedle gifts from a woman is a fail as a gentleman! In my native France, as in other lands in the west, it is customary for a true gentleman to offer his woman a bouquet of flowers. Look! Even Ko-kun understands and is diligently putting on a smile for his customers!"

Tamaki gestured towards Kohaku who, oddly enough, _was _smiling at her guests and having a good time as well. If one looked closely though, they could see her gaze travel towards the kitchen doors occasionally.

"**Wow! What a role reversal, Tono!"**

Kyoya walked over, looking happier than normal.

"He might be trying to justify the fact that Haruhi isn't giving him any chocolate."

The moment he said that, Tamaki went to his corner of woe, making Kaoru sweat drop. _Good guess, eh?_

"Where's Haruhi-kun?" Kyoya asked, noticing the absence of Kohaku's other half.

"She went to the library."

"Oh well." _Again? _He thought, but smiled nonetheless. "Men, keep your resolve. 'No matter what happens, don't give Honey-senpai or Kohaku-senpai any sweets'. Those are Mori-senpai and Haruhi-kun's orders, all right?"

The two twins stared at Kyoya, as he walked away with a cheerful whistle.

"Kyoya-senpai seems darned happy."

"He's happy not spending money on Honey-senpai and Kohaku's sweet tooth."

"So Haruhi-kun's the one who dragged me into this." Kohaku said from behind, startling them. "That means I'll have to up my game. She already locked me out of my apartment."

"Really, Kohaku?"

"Then where'd you get those sweets from this morning?"

"Those were already in there." She waved off. "I always keep something on hand. It's trying to break into my own apartment that's going to be a problem."

While Kohaku walked off, thinking deeply, elsewhere on campus Haruhi sneezed. _What the-I shouldn't be coming down with a cold…If anything, Kohaku's probably talking about me. _Glancing at the clock tower, Haruhi groaned and began running down the hall. _Drat. I'm late again. Is getting to the south wing faster from the courtyard?_

As she ran, she overheard a girl talking to someone. Now, normally she wouldn't be nosy, but when the Host Club was brought up, she stopped and hid behind a pillar.

"I heard that the Host Club isn't participating in Valentine's Day…but, I really wanted you to accept my feelings." The girl looked up, but Mori was silent. "You can't? Is it because you already have someone important in your heart?" She looked down, obviously upset at Mori's silence. "There's someone else, isn't there? I-If you accept my chocolate though, I'll be able to move on."

"I can't accept it."

_Wow. He's really dedicated to Honey-senpai, but I feel like there's something more. _Someone suddenly came up behind Haruhi and covered her mouth, whispering in her ear.

"Shh! It's me, Haruhi-san! It's me!"

The person released her and she turned around and saw someone unexpected.

"S-Shindo-san? What are you doing here?"

"Well first off, security in this place is horrible. I was able to waltz right in no problem!" He said, hands on his hips. "But I came here to see Ko-chan! I promised her dinner, after all."

Haruhi rolled her eyes as he smiled, and then she realized Mori had already walked off. Following her gaze, Shindo let out a sigh.

"Ah, love birds~ Always causing drama."

"You saw that?

"Well yeah. I was lost and heard some juicy gossip about some girl confessing, so I came to take a look."

"Right." She sighed. "If you want, you can come with me. I'm heading over to the club right now, although I'm already late."

"Thanks, Haru-chan! It's okay if I call you that, right?"

"Sure. But use 'kun' around the guests."

"Cool! So what's this club about, anyway?"

Haruhi explained what the club did and answered any questions Shindo had about it, when he asked about something odd.

"Neh, Haru-chan, what can you tell me about Ko-chan?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

Shindo reached up and fiddled with one of the many piercings in his ear.

"I mean…like the other day, when we went shopping? I seemed to have struck a nerve by joking around about her femininity. I don't want to hurt her again and I just wondered if there was anything else I should know about her."

Blinking a few times, Haruhi dared to ask, "Do you…_like_ Kohaku?"

Shindo grinned widely. "You bet I do!"

"W-What?! B-B-But you're gay!" Her eyes were wide in shock and her mind couldn't seem to wrap around what Shindo just admitted.

"That's what I thought too, but there's just something about her that I like. I can't seem to pinpoint it."

"Wha-But-Agh!" Haruhi groaned, tugging frantically on her hair. "How can this happen?"

"Well~ When two people get together-"

"That's not what I meant!"

Shindo laughed. "I know, but it's so much fun messing with you! I can see why Ko-chan likes it."

"Great. Another one." Haruhi muttered.

"So you haven't answered my question, Haru-chan. Anything I should need to know? Oh! And I already know about her family. Ranka-chan told us when you and Ko-chan left to do shopping."

_That idiot._ Haruhi thought, but she put a hand to her chin as she pondered how to answer Shindo's question.

"Your best bet would probably be to just ask her. She's similar to Kyoya-senpai in that way. If you don't just ask her bluntly, she'll find a way to skip around the question. The most I could tell you would be that she's lonely and self-conscious. It may not sound like much, but because of that, I think she just wants to find someone she can talk to without worrying about what they'll think of her no matter what."

Haruhi gave a glance as he thought that over. _I think he has a lot of what Kohaku needs, but it all comes down to what she thinks about him versus the others. I hope she makes the right choice though. Who knows how much more she can take before the damage starts becoming irreversible._

"I'll keep that in mind, Haru-chan. I'll ask what I can and work with what I get." He smiled down at her as they reached the doors of the music room. "After all, I don't want to fall behind the others, now do I?"

Shindo winked as the doors were opened and he caught sight of Kohaku; running over and pulling her into a hug as she blushed in embarrassment.

"Ko-chan!~ I found you!"

Stuttering in shock, Kohaku tried to explain to her guests that Shindo was _not_ her boyfriend, but was unsuccessful in that as he told her why he was there.

"I'm here to take you out to dinner of course! We promised, remember?"

"Kya! A dinner date with another guy!"

"So moe!"

"N-No!" Kohaku shook her head, face getting redder by the minute. "I-I don't remember that!"

"S-So you're not going to go? But I already made reservations and everything."

Shindo's eyes teared up and the guests watched from the edge of their seats. Even the other hosts had their full attention on the supposed couple and, with the tears and the added pressure, Kohaku reluctantly gave in.

"O-Okay. I-I-I'll go, Shindo-kun."

The girls erupted into applause as Kohaku lowered her head to hide her embarrassment, and Shindo's tears _magically_ dried up.

"Yay! I get to go on a dinner date with Ko-chan!"

"I-It's not a date!" Kohaku responded, but Shindo just grinned as he rested his chin on her shoulder.

The other hosts were watching in amusement. At least, most of them were. The twins, for instance, were holding each other up and laughing hard at Kohaku's humiliation, while Honey was content enough pouting about his lack of sweets. Haruhi had simply rolled her eyes and went to start passing out tea again, as Mori sat on the couch next to Honey, dealing with his own problems. But he couldn't help glancing at Kohaku with the smallest of frowns. It was Kyoya though, who made the first move.

"Yamanaka-san, could you leave? You are interfering with our business. You may wait outside until our club hours are over."

All eyes went to Kyoya as he pushed up his glasses and Shindo glared, tugging Kohaku closer.

"Why do I have to wait outside? I don't see how what I'm doing is causing any problems."

The two of them had a stare off and, if you squinted, one could see the lightning spark between the two.

"U-Um…" Kohaku nervously waved from her position in Shindo's arms. "P-P-Perhaps, Shindo-kun could wait _inside_? A-As long as he doesn't bother anyone. That was he doesn't i-interfere with the club and he can still w-watch?"

Kyoya scoffed and turned away, thus ending the conversation.

"I'll take that as a 'yes' then." Shindo said with a large smile. "I'll be waiting for you Ko-chan~"

With that, he pecked her on the cheek and the girls went wild once more. Kohaku groaned, ducking her head again, and Haruhi came over to pat her on the back.

"Now you know what it's like with Tamaki-kun, neh, Kohaku?"

Kohaku looked up with a frown. "Yeah. _Thanks_."

"You're welcome." Haruhi said, ignoring Kohaku's sarcasm.

They went their separate ways and resumed what they were supposed to be doing as hosts. By the time they finished, Kohaku was completely drained. Once Shindo had showed up, all of her guests kept asking questions about their relationship, or lack thereof. A pair of hands began massaging her shoulders, and she sank further into the couch with a moan.

"My _God_ that feels good."

"That's because you're so tense, Ko-chan."

"Mmm….And I wonder who's fault _that_ is, Shindo-kun."

She peeked an eye open at Shindo, only to find him smiling like an idiot.

"Only because I love you." He said with a wink.

"Uh-huh, sure." She replied, voice full of sarcasm.

Getting up from the couch, she held her arm out for fu-kun and began to clean up with the other hosts. Once everything was put away, the hosts left one by one, until the only two left were Kyoya and Tamaki. Kyoya was packing away his laptop and papers, while Tamaki waited diligently by the window.

"Did you two fight again?"

Kyoya pushed up his glasses as he put his notebook into his bag.

"I don't believe I know what you are talking about."

Tamaki turned his head and walked over with a flourish. "You know, Kyoya, there was this quote I learned the other say. I believe it was, 'Denial is a river in Egypt'."

Kyoya scoffed. "I can only wonder where you heard that one."

"Yes, well what I'm saying is, that I know something happened between you and our senpai again. Do you want to tell daddy about it?"

"No. I don't." That sent Tamaki to his corner and Kyoya picked up his bag with a sigh. "But I don't really have a choice, now do I?"

Tamaki shot up from his short depression with a smile, grabbing his bag and following Kyoya out the door. On the way out to their limo, Kyoya went on to explain what had happened that day in the grocery store between him and Kohaku; being sure to leave out his feelings towards a certain black haired pest.

"So…you're jealous."

Kyoya frowned. "I do not get _jealous_."

"Everyone gets jealous! We just get jealous for different reasons."

"I am not jealous and I have no reason to _be _jealous." Kyoya snapped. "I am simply vexed by Yamanaka-san's presence."

Knowing that Kyoya wouldn't admit to being jealous, Tamaki tried a different tactic.

"Okay…So you don't want Shindo-san around the Host Club? Or just around Ko-kun?"

Kyoya scowled. "What kind of question is that? Of course I don't want him around us. What does it matter if he's around just Kohaku-kun or if he's around everyone? Either way, it's an annoyance. The man _himself_ is an annoyance."

_Well, that didn't really work._ Tamaki thought. _Time for tactic number two!_

"What about Mori-senpai or the twins? Does it bother you when _they_ are around Ko-kun?"

The limo went silent until Kyoya finally spoke.

"I see what you're doing." He said. "You have somehow come to the conclusion that I have…_feelings_ for our senpai."

"Wha-I never-" Tamaki tried to cover up his error, but Kyoya silenced him.

"It is quite obvious that _that's_ what you're thinking and I assure you that I have not, and _will_ not, EVER feel that way towards our senpai, let alone another male!"

Tamaki had crossed the line and they both knew it. The limo was silent once more and the moment they pulled up to Kyoya's house, Kyoya got up; giving Tamaki a scathing glare.

"I suggest you never bring up this subject again, if you wish for things to remain the way they were." He growled, slamming the limo door behind him.

Watching Kyoya's figure as the limo drove off, Tamaki let out a sad breath.

"But Kohaku's a woman…"

* * *

**(Kohaku's POV)**

* * *

"You really went all out, didn't you?" I asked, sitting across from Shindo in a rather _ornate_ restaurant.

He smiled in response, sipping his water as we waited for our food. "My uncle owns this place, actually, and when he heard I had a date coming he opened it right up."

I felt my face heat up for the billionth time that day. "S-Stop calling me your date!"

"Isn't that what this is though? Two people going out to have fun and learn more about each other? Sounds like a date to me, Ko-chan.~"

I face palmed; knowing that, in a way, he was right but at the same time, wishing I was elsewhere. Taking a rather large gulp of my water, I discreetly scratched Fu-kun's head to get his attention. _C-Can't you help me out? I don't know what he's doing! __**Hopeless kid. He wants to know more about you, right? Ask what he wants to know.**_

"Um…what-"

"Your orders." A waiter interrupted, and I used that distraction to avoid what I was going to ask.

The two of us ate quietly for a moment, neither of us wanting to start up a conversation it seems, until Shindo gathered up enough courage to do so.

"So, what can you tell me about yourself? Likes, dislikes, hobbies, topics to avoid…Things like that."

"I, uh, like the Host Club and I don't like being woken up in the morning. My hobbies? U-Um, writing and reading, I guess…and topics to avoid? What do you mean? Things I don't like talking about?"

My brows scrunched up in confusion and he chuckled nervously.

"Eheh, sorry about that one. It just kind of popped out…but, before, when I upset you…I just didn't want to end up talking about the wrong things, you know?"

I nodded my head, understanding where he was coming from. "Yeah, no, I understand. I seem to be having the same problem with Kyoya-kun. Everything I say seems to make him upset." Shindo sighed, and I looked at him in surprise. "Something wrong, Shindo-kun?"

He shook his head. "Nope."

_He's lying. I can tell, probably because I hang around Kyoya so much but…why is he lying?_

"O-Oh…okay…"

Sensing my disappointment, he sighed once more. "Sorry, Ko-chan. It's not that I don't want to tell you, I just…Ah, forget it. I'm jealous, okay?"

I blinked in confusion. "Jealous? Of what?"

"I can't believe I'm saying this." he said, placing his elbows on the table and waving a hand at me. "I'm jealous of that dark haired, glasses guy."

"Kyoya-kun? But why? I mean, I know you two don't like each other, but I never knew why. I just assumed it was one of those 'hate on sight' things."

Shindo shook his head with a laugh. "Oh no! Nothing like that!"

"Then why? I don't get it." _**Clueless.**_

I glared at Fu-kun and Shindo gave me an odd look.

"Something up? I haven't even said anything yet."

I turned back to him and pointed at Fu-kun. "He called me clueless."

"He can talk to you?"

Not knowing where this conversation was heading I nodded. "Yeah."

"That's so cool! Is it like telepathic? You can hear each others thoughts and stuff?"

"Well, yeah, but you never answered. Why are you jealous of Kyoya-kun?"

"Well, because he's all you talk about, of course." Shindo waved his hand nonchalantly. "Here we are getting to know each other better, and the first thing we talk about is him. Any guy would be jealous if the girl he likes was always thinking about another guy."

Something about what he said had just made me stop and push my mental rewind button.

"_Any guy would be jealous if the girl he likes was always thinking about another guy."_

"…_if the girl he likes…"_

"…_girl he likes…"_

Suddenly it clicked, and my eyes widened as my mind went haywire.

"W-What do you mean, 'girl he likes'?! D-D-Do you…_like me_?"

Shindo opened his mouth to answer when that damned waiter stopped by again, holding two smaller menus.

"May I interest you two in some dessert?"

Shindo glanced at me. "You want anything?"

"N-No. I'm not allowed to have anything sweet until Honey-kun's cavity is filled."

He snapped his fingers. "Oh yeah! Haru-chan told me about that!…But haven't you been trying to eat sweets anyway? And since it's after club hours, you could probably get away with eating some if you want."

I frowned. "No. I'm not going to eat sweets if Honey-kun can't."

"Um, sir?"

Shindo, a tad surprised at my declaration, waved him off. "No, thank you. J-Just bring us the check."

The waiter bowed and left to go retrieve the check while Shindo stared at me.

"What?"

"I just never expected that from you."

"Yeah, but Honey-kun's like a brother to me and I wouldn't want to ruin that just because of something trivial." I suddenly paused. "Hey! You did it again!"

"Hm? Did what again?"

"You distracted me so that I would forget what we were talking about!"

Shindo just laughed. "I guess I did, didn't I? But if you really want to know, Ko-chan…" He leaned over the table and suddenly, I felt something soft brush my lips. "I do love you."

My eyes grew even wider and I couldn't seem to do or say anything. _D-Did he just k-k-kiss me?! But he's gay, right?! So how-Why-No, what do I do?!_ As my mind was self-imploding, my body began to move on it's own. My face was bright red and I had stood up from my chair; my hands shaking as Shindo stood up as well, trying to figure out what was going on.

"Ko-chan? Hey, are you okay? I know it's unexpected, but I really do love you!"

Finally, my mouth started to work again. "I-I-I don't…I don't u-understand."

"Ko-chan, what's there to understand? I love you."

I put a hand to my head, trying to stop the pounding, and backed away.

"N-No. You can't. it doesn't make any sense…Why…Why would you love me?"

Shindo's brows furrowed in confusion and even _I_ hardly knew what was coming out of my mouth anymore. All I knew was that _that_ question was all I wanted to know. _Who would love me? I-I look like a guy but…I'm not…My friends were right. Everything they've been telling me this whole time was true. It has to be true. No guy would want me. So why is he saying this?_

"Ko-chan." He said, grabbing my hand. "What are you saying? There's no reason why I wouldn't love you. You're funny, smart, cunning, kind…You're everything any guy could ask for!"

"No! I'm not! No guy would want me! Not like this! I-I can't be hurt again!"

Once I said that, I couldn't be there anymore. I had to get away from everyone; from Shindo, from the waiters and staff, from _everyone_. So I ran. I ran away from the restaurant and just kept running, not noticing my phone falling out of my pocket when Fu-kun went to hide in there.

By the time I stopped, I found myself on the outskirts of the school. I didn't know how I got there or how long I'd been running, but I didn't want anyone to find me, so I hopped the fence and climbed up one of the many trees next to the large pink building.

Fu-kun poked his head out of my pocket and hurried up to my shoulder, nuzzling my cheek in comfort. _What am I doing here, Fu-kun? I'm screwing up everything._ He stayed silent and just curled up around my neck like a scarf as tears fell down my cheeks. _I'm so lost._

* * *

**(No one's POV)**

* * *

Haruhi glanced at the clock in worry before resuming her pacing. Kohaku hadn't returned from her dinner date with Shindo yet, and she was beginning to wonder what exactly they were doing that would keep them out so late. _Wait. Why am I worrying? They're probably just goofing off somewhere. There's no need to worry._

She sat back down and picked up her book, just as the phone went off. The book was immediately dropped as Haruhi scrambled to grab the phone. Finally picking it up, she cleared her throat. _Yup. Not worried at all._

"Hello, Fujioka residence."

"H-Haru-chan?"

Haruhi scrunched up her brows in confusion. _Now why would Shindo be calling? Better yet, how'd he get my number?_

"Yeah. Is something wrong? How'd you get my phone number?"

"Ko-chan dropped her phone and I found your contact."

"Dropped her phone? Doing what?"

_Kohaku would never leave her phone anywhere. That's what connects her to her manager. _Haruhi thought as she began pacing again. _Something's definitely wrong._

"Oh man, Haru-chan. I really screwed up." Shindo said, worrying Haruhi even more.

"Shindo-kun, what happened? Where's Kohaku? Let me talk to her."

"I-I can't. I don't know where she is."

"How can you not know where she is?! You two went on a date! You're supposed to be together!"

"I know!…I know, but I really screwed up, Haru-chan."

Getting angry with Shindo for his lack of answers, Haruhi began putting on her jacket and shoes, preparing to go out and find Kohaku herself if she had to.

"What did you _do_?" She growled.

"I confessed and…I kissed her…"

Haruhi slapped her face. "You idiot. Kohaku's about as social as a frightened animal. Kissing her was about the _worst_ thing you could do."

"Well how was I supposed to know?! It was all I could think of to express how I feel about her! You told me to be direct!"

"Not like that! Just telling her directly should have been enough!" She sighed, pulling a hand through her hair. "What did she say before she ran off?"

"It didn't make much sense, but she said, 'No guy would want me! Not like this!'…'I can't be hurt again'…"

_Damn it, Kohaku. Why didn't you tell me?_ "Where are you?"

"I-I'm running up and down the streets near the restaurant."

"Okay. She's either lost, or she went someplace familiar. Kohaku hasn't been here that long, so there's only a couple of places she could go. Try the café by the supermarket and check there as well. The only other places are the school and the gym, but the schools' probably closed by now."

"Okay. I-I'll head there right now…What if we don't find her though?"

Haruhi went quiet. "I-I don't know, Shindo-kun."

"…Right. Well, I'll call if I find her."

"Me too." Haruhi said, before hanging up the phone.

_Should I call the hosts? No. They have their own problems and would probably end up making a search party…but we could use the extra help…_She glanced back at the phone and groaned, picking it up and dialing a familiar, but irritating, number.

"Hello." A blunt, business tone said on the other line.

"Kyoya-senpai, it's Haruhi. I need your help."

"Now what could _I_ possibly help you with and at what costs will it effect me?"

"Look." Haruhi snapped, in no mood to talk business. "Kohaku's disappeared and I only called you because we could use the help in searching for her, and I didn't want the others to blow this out of proportion. So you either help or you don't. I'm not going to just sit here and discuss a business deal with you."

"…I'll send some men out to search. Is there anywhere he would go?"

Haruhi nodded even though Kyoya couldn't see her. "Yeah. I have Shindo-kun checking the café and supermarket. The only other places we haven't checked yet are the school and the gym."

"Very well. I will have someone check the campus and I will inform you should we find anything."

"Okay. I'll do the same."

They both hung up and just as Haruhi reached out to grab the doorknob, the door opened and her father walked in.

"Oh! Did you come to welcome me home, Haru-chan?"

"No, dad. Move so I can go."

Seeing that something was wrong, Ranka grabbed her by her shoulders, stopping her from hurrying out the door.

"Now hold on." He said seriously. "What's going on, Haruhi? What's wrong?"

"Kohaku ran off and Shindo-kun doesn't know where she is, so I'm going to help search for her."

Ranka quickly shook his head. "I'm not letting you out there."

"But Kohaku's missing! We can't just sit here!"

"That's why I'll go. You stay here in case she comes back. I can't have you going out this late."

Haruhi frowned, not happy about what her father was saying, but knew she couldn't argue. Giving her a quick hug, Ranka headed out with a few final words.

"We'll find her. Don't worry."

They all searched well into the night, but no one had seen head nor tail of Kohaku. Once two o' clock came around though, Shindo had gone home as well as Kyoya. And when Ranka came home, he was faced with the task of telling Haruhi that they couldn't find Kohaku. The minute he walked through the door though, Haruhi already knew that Kohaku wasn't coming home that night and it was hard for her to keep composure.

"Dad?"

"I'm sorry, Haruhi…but Kohaku's a strong person and I'm sure she's probably asleep somewhere up in a tree or something. Just watch. Tomorrow will come and she will be right back at school, pretending nothing happened. She'll be okay. I promise." Ranka gave her a hug and sent Haruhi off to bed, hoping that what he said was true and that Kohaku was okay.

The next morning, Haruhi went to school as per norm, but couldn't help but scan the halls whenever she could, for a head of white. At one point, it got so bad that the twins began questioning what was going on. By the time Haruhi got around to going to the host club, she was a nervous wreck. _I haven't seen Kohaku all day. If she really is here, I'm _definitely_ going to hit her for all the crap she put me through last night and today._

As her and the twins walked through the door, her eyes scanned the room and, with no white hair in sight, she frowned and went towards the kitchen. Of course, at that moment, Kohaku walked out of the kitchen with a tray of sandwiches. Haruhi's eyes narrowed as Kohaku looked down sadly, walking over towards one of the tables and setting down the sandwiches.

While Kohaku assorted the sandwiched on a smaller snack tray, Haruhi made her way over angrily. The instant Kohaku turned around and faced her fully, Haruhi's hand swung out; hitting Kohaku hard across the cheek.

"The hell Kohaku! You just decided to run off yesterday and then show up at school like nothing's wrong?!"

Kohaku stayed silent, keeping her head turned to the side as her cheek turned red.

"You couldn't even call and tell me you were okay?! I don't deserve to know what happened or anything?! Is that all I am to you?!"

"I'm sorry…" Kohaku muttered softly, not looking at Haruhi.

"That's it? You think a simple 'I'm sorry' is going to make up for everything?"

The silence from Kohaku told Haruhi everything she needed to know.

"Fine then. Don't expect any dinner tonight. You're on your own."

With that, Haruhi stormed past Kohaku and into the kitchen, leaving behind a group of shocked and confused hosts. Seeing how Kohaku hadn't moved at all, Tamaki was worried and shakily wandered over to her.

"Kohaku-kun?"

Kohaku lifted her head and turned towards Tamaki with a large smile. Lifting a hand to her cheek, she said, "Wow. Looks like I really upset her this time. Sorry you guys."

"Why are you apologizing to us?"

"Yeah. Shouldn't you…"

"…be apologizing…"

"…**to Haruhi?"**

Kohaku's face fell for a split second before the fake smile was back. "I'll do it later. She…doesn't want to talk to me right now anyway. I'll just finish setting out the sandwiches since we're supposed to open soon."

She went to do so with a grin on her face, but the moment she turned her back, it fell into a frown. Tamaki knew though. He knew that Kohaku was only smiling to cover up just how much she was hurt. He knew that she was hurt the moment she walked into the music room with bags under her eyes and sticks in her hair. It was obvious that she didn't sleep, but also that something had happened, because he could see it in her eyes.

She put on a smile for him then, just as she did now, but that hurt was still here. Kyoya had known something too. He was angry with Kohaku, but held I back when he saw the state she was in. However, Tamaki couldn't have his family be this way. As their father, he needed to help his two daughters overcome this situation. But first, he needed to discover what happened. So he walked off to the kitchen, in hopes of fixing what happened between Kohaku and Haruhi.

* * *

**(Kohaku's POV)**

* * *

_**You really should go and apologize, kid. I'm sure she was really worried about you.**_I mentally sighed as I finished setting up the sandwiches. _I know, but…I can't. She wants to know what happened a-and I feel so stupid. __**Well, it is stupid. **__You're not helping. __**Sorry.**__ No. I just…I deserve this. She deserves to be upset with me. I shouldn't have reacted like that with Shindo and now I screwed up with Haruhi because of it. __**Just apologize! **__I did! You saw what happened! __**Then…make it up to her. **__How?__** I don't know. Make her dinner or something. Like she does for you.**__ Right. Like that'll work.__** It's worth a try.**_

A clap rang out and I straightened up as Kyoya announced that it was time to open. As I went to take my place at the couch, I spotted Tamaki leaving the kitchen with Haruhi and my chest clenched slightly. _G__reat. Now I'm jealous of Tamaki being with Haruhi. __**You two are like a married couple that had a spat and you're jealous that she's seeking comfort from somebody else.**__ What? Are you writing a soap opera in your spare time or something? __**Just saying.**__ Yeah, well…shush._

After welcoming everyone like we normally do, it was decided that I would be paired up with Honey and Mori today, since I only had one guest. I didn't mind, especially since I was craving sugar at the moment and Honey's antics could help me get some if we worked together. _**But I thought you were going to support him by not eating sweets.**__ I am, but that doesn't mean I'm going to avoid him like the plague. Besides, we're both being punished, so we're brothers in arms!__** I seriously don't understand you sometimes. **_I mentally chuckled. _You're not supposed to. I make your life interesting. What fun would it be if you knew everything? __**Yeah, yeah…Oh hey! Looks like Honey's up to something.**_

Looking over to the right, I saw Honey cheerfully running towards Mori, no longer wearing his bunny ear bandage.

"Takashi! I think my cavity is gone!"

"Yeah?"

Honey looked over at me and I took my cue, hurrying over and pointing at his cheek.

"Look, Takashi-kun! His cheek's not even swollen anymore!"

"Yeah?"

"**So can we have just one?"** We both asked in unison.

"Mitsukuni." Mori said, before suddenly shoving a popsicle in Honey's mouth, causing him immediate pain.

"I guess that's a 'no' for the both of us then…" I trailed off, before spotting Mori still holding the popsicle.

"It's a long way before recovery." He said and I stood in front of him, pointing at the popsicle.

"Can I have that, Takashi-kun?"

He looked down at me, then at the popsicle, then at Haruhi. I glanced at Haruhi as well, my sadness returning as she frowned and turned away. Biting my bottom lip, I turned back to Mori and spoke softly.

"I-Is it sugar-free?"

"Ah." He smiled and I gave a small smile in return as he gave it to me.

I followed Honey around as I nibbled on the popsicle. It wasn't that I was _avoiding_ Haruhi. It was more like I was trying to evade the complications _surrounding_ the two of us. In reality, I was just hoping to forget everything that happened and move on, but I knew Haruhi wouldn't do that. A tug on my sleeve snapped me out of my thoughts, and I bit down on an empty popsicle stick. _Aw._

"Yeah, Honey-kun?" I asked, glancing down at the smaller senior as he turned to stare at a group of guests snacking on sandwiches. "Ah, time for plan two then?"

He nodded and the two of us walked over to the table, large smiles on our faces.

"What're you drinking?" Honey asked.

"It's Darjeeling, Honey-kun."

"Hmm. What're you eating?" I asked, leaning forward a tad.

"U-Um, a small sandwich."

"I think tea goes really well with something sweet! Right, Ko-kun?"

I nodded in agreement, the two of us beaming. "Uh-huh! Something like cake or candy work best. Aren't you having any?"

"W-Well no, but I suppose that's true."

"Y-Yeah." The girls said nervously, trying as hard as they could not to give in to mine and Honey's deceiving smiles. Of course they couldn't, so instead they chose to run away.

"We're so sorry! Please excuse us!" They wailed and Honey rounded on me with teary eyes.

"Ko-kun! We're _never_ going to get any sweets!"

"Well…" I thought for a moment. "Maybe we're just asking the wrong people."

"Okay!" He suddenly said, and ran off towards Haruhi.

"Ah! Wait, Honey-kun!" I called after him, but it was too late. "T-That's not who I meant…"

I sighed and watched as Haruhi handed Honey kelp; the same thing she'd been giving me every time I asked for something sweet. Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out my own kelp that Haruhi had given me yesterday and began chewing on it. Scowling, I made a face at it.

"It's _definitely_ not the same as chocolate."

I sighed again though, and continued chewing it. After all, it wasn't until the next day that I truly understood how much I relied on sugar. But more importantly, just how much I needed and relied on Haruhi.

* * *

"Fu-kun…I-I can't do this anymore." I groaned, putting my head in my hands and trying my hardest to avoid looking anywhere _near_ my bag.

Haruhi had given up yesterday, thus returning my keys to my apartment since she wasn't making me dinner. We…still haven't made up yet, but after thinking about it all last night, I vowed to make it up to her before the day is done. The only reason I was whining to Fu-kun _now_ was, not because I had spent the night in a sugar-lover's home without being allowed to touch anything, but because I had stayed up all night looking up recipes and creating a bento box of her only to have her avoid me all day.

"I mean, I went to her during her study period and she just sat there reading, even though I was trying to apologize! And at lunch, I couldn't even _find_ her! Everyone I asked sent me in another direction!"

Fu-kun nodded attentively, just as I ran into someone.

"Oi! Watch where you're goin'!"

"S-Sorry." I muttered, keeping my head low as the large man and his friends glared down at me.

"Oh? What's this?" The unknown student bent down and my eyes widened when I saw him reaching for Haruhi's bento, which had fallen out of my bag in the collision.

Quickly, I picked it up before he could. "I-It's mine. I-I'll be going now. Sorry a-again."

_Man, I really need to get over my stutter. _Before I could get anywhere, my jacket collar was grabbed and the man pulled me back.

"Now hold on a sec! Don't try to leave while I'm talkin' to you!"

"I-I have a club."

"Oh yeah? What club?" He leered, not believing me for a second.

"T-The Host Club."

His eyes widened, before narrowing. "What? Those jerks accepting _faggots_ now?"

"W-What?"

He rolled his eyes, before suddenly slamming me up against the wall. "You think I don't know about you? You're the shy type there and rumor is you're gay. And I _just so happen_ to really dislike you."

"W-Why?"

I didn't _really _want to know why this guy hated me. I was just trying to buy me some time to come up with an escape plan. _Fu-kun. You think you can run down the back of my jacket and go get the Host Club? __**You sure? Couldn't you just use some of that boxing that you do?**__ I would, but that will reflect poorly on the Host Club now that he knows who I am. _He sighed. _**You're too good sometimes, kid. **__Tell me about it._

"Why?! Because of you, my girlfriend broke up with me!"

"H-How is that my fault?" _Now's your chance, Fu-kun. Go!_

"She told me that she would've stayed with me if I was more like her _precious _Kohaku-kun!" Right as Fu-kun dashed from behind my ankles, the guy holding me spotted him and grabbed him roughly by the scruff of his neck. "The hell is this?"

"Let him go!" I shouted, more afraid of Fu-kun's safety than my own.

"You trying to call for help with this little rat?" Fu-kun struggled, but managed to sink his sharp teeth into the man's hand. "Ow! You little-"

Fu-kun fell however, before he hit the ground, I managed to get out of the man's grip and lunge forward; saving Fu-kun from a potentially painful fall. _**Nice catch. **__It's not over yet._ The angered student kicked me in the side a few times, yelling about being bitten, before I kicked his feet out from under him and began running. I heard the three guys following me, but couldn't help laughing at the whole situation.

"This is hilarious!" I said as I weaved through a group of students.

_**What is funny about being chased by a group of bullies?! **__Nothing really, but this is probably one of the most used scenarios to move a plot, ever!_

"Get back here!"

_**It won't be funny if they catch up! **__Don't worry. I've got a plan. __**How could you plan for this?! **__You'll see!_ Rounding a corner, I checked the room nametags with a grin.

"Should be…right around…here!"

I made a sharp left, pulling open a pitch black door and slipping inside; closing it as the sound of footsteps came and went. Grinning at myself as I stowed Haruhi's bento back in my bag, I descended the dimly lit stairs while holding onto my aching side.

"Phew. Haven't…ran like that…in a while…I need to get out more."

_**Where are we? **__One of Nekozawa's many secret passages. Don't you remember when I spoke to him a while back? I was prepared for bullies from Day One. Knowing where Nekozawa keeps his secret passages on certain days was just icing on the cake!…Crap. I thought of cake just now.__** You and your sugar.**_ I rolled my eyes just as I reached the bottom of the stairs and was greeted by the Black Magic Club.

"How nice to see you again, Kohaku-kun.~" Nekozawa said, his Beelzenef waving at me. "Are you here to join? You get a free cursed doll with your club membership.~"

I shook my head with a sad smile. "S-Sorry, Nekozawa-kun. I o-only came here to escape a-a few punks and I'm already i-in the Host Club, so I can't join."

"Too bad. I always found your aura to be very intriguing. You are certainly welcome to join if you ever leave the Host Club."

"T-Thank you, Nekozawa-kun, but I was a-actually wondering if you could s-s-show me the path to the Host Club." Then I had a thought. "Oh! And what d-do you have as far as human skulls?"

His grin stretched far across his face as he chuckled. "Real or fake?~"

My grin widened as well and, once our business was complete, he pointed out the correct path and I went on my way. _**Why did you get that…**_**thing? **_Well, you whine when I wake up you at ungodly hours of the morning and I can't exactly call up Haruhi over to share ideas about my story that early. Now I have someone else to talk to who will always agree with me._ I smirked, but my growling stomach killed my mood instantly. I rubbed it, but winced when I put too much pressure on the bruised area.

"Gonna need to ice that…but I want sugar more."

I dropped my head with a sigh, and opened the second pair of black doors, leading into the Host Club music room. The moment they heard the doors open, all eyes went to me and my ruffled appearance. Shakily, Tamaki wandered up to me as I collapsed on the couch, trying not to think of sweets.

"Ko-kun? D-Did you just come from N-Nekozawa-san's doors?"

Glaring up at him, I went to growl, but instead came up with another alternative. I smirked and pulled out the skull, showing it to him and answering with a bored expression.

"I had to go pick up a friend."

* * *

**(No one's POV)**

* * *

Tamaki squealed and hurriedly ducked behind Kyoya while Kohaku went back to mentally steaming on the couch and Honey got up to pace in front of her. The rest of the hosts had then gathered at a table and it was easy to tell that Honey and Kohaku were beginning to scare them.

"Will someone talk to him?" Hikaru asked, gesturing to Honey.

"I'm too scared." Kaoru replied. "I didn't expect we'd ever behold his dark mode."

"Seems he's not the only one." Kyoya said. "Kohaku-kun appears to be in a dark mood as well."

Eyes went to Haruhi for a moment, until Kohaku suddenly got up; Fu-kun scrambling for the hosts' table. She headed straight for where the sweets are normally kept and Honey's grip on his bunny tightened as he awaited what she would find.

"**Ack! The candy cabinet!"**

"Don't worry." Kyoya told the twins calmly. "It's empty."

That was only _partially_ true. The cabinets had no candy, however they weren't entirely empty, as Tamaki soon discovered. Kohaku reached into the cupboard and pulled out his bear, only to give it a look and pass it to Honey, who slammed it into the ground.

"Ah! My Kuma-chan!" Tamaki wailed and the twins told him to stay strong.

Just then though, Honey fell to the ground and Kohaku walked over to the couch again and laid down with a muffled 'thump'.

"They passed out." Kaoru said, with Kyoya beside him.

"It took three days. They lasted longer than I expected."

Tamaki, being very stupid and brave today, knelt down next to Honey and began shaking him to see if he was okay.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Kohaku suddenly said, her voice slightly muffled by the couch. "He'll probably chew your arm off at this point."

Sure enough, at that very moment, Honey lifted his head and sank his teeth into Tamaki's hand.

"Idiot." Kohaku grumbled, getting up from the couch and going to help Tamaki as he ran around the room.

The instant Tamaki ran towards her, she stuck out her foot and tripped him. As he fell, she grabbed Honey and pulled him off while Tamaki face-planted into the tile floor. Holding Honey off the ground by his collar while he struggled, Kohaku sighed.

"Honey-kun, as much as you want sweets, it's not nice to bite people."

Unfortunately, Kohaku must have said something wrong, because she was suddenly kicked _hard_ in the ribs. She was forced to release Honey as she knelt to the ground, trying to learn how to breathe again.

"Stupid Ko-kun! You want it as much as I do! Jerk! Idiot! Freak!" Kohaku flinched. "We're not friends anymore!"

Mori abruptly stood up, having seen enough. "Mitsukuni, don't talk to Kohaku like that and don't attack people. It's unsightly."

Thoroughly pissed, Honey turned and flipped Mori to the ground.

"Takashi, you idiot! Why can't I have just a little! Stingy! Block head! Takashi…I hate you!" Honey yelled, tears pricking the corner of his eyes as he ran out the doors.

"Honey-senpai!" Tamaki shouted, running after him while the other hosts gathered around Mori and Kohaku.

"Mori-senpai, are you okay?" Hikaru asked.

A majority of the left over hosts were standing around Mori, since Haruhi was still mad at Kohaku and the other two had left the room. The only one next to her, was Kyoya, surprisingly enough.

"I suggest you lay down flat in order to catch your breath. Curling up, like you're doing now, will not help." He informed her.

Kohaku could only nod and gingerly lie down on the cool tile floor; an occasional grimace showing on her face when she breathed too deeply. She gripped her side as well, something Kyoya narrowed his eyes at.

"Is something wrong with your side as well?"

She opened and eye at him and smiled. "Knew you'd…figure it out…sooner or later."

He scowled and Fu-kun scuttled over, nudging her hand and lifting up the edge of her shirt a bit so Kyoya could see the dark violet blotch marring her skin. Kneeling down, Kyoya gently pressed the wound in search of broken bones, causing Kohaku to hiss in pain.

"Hey…That hurts you know."

"Who did this to you?" Kyoya growled and Kohaku rolled her eyes, lowering her shirt and sitting up painfully.

"Calm down. It was the ex-boyfriend of one of my guests and I took care of it."

"The hell you did." Kyoya said as he stood.

Frowning, Kohaku got up as well with another grimace.

"What? Are you mad at me?" She questioned. "Is it because you think I fought them? 'Cause I didn't."

He went to continue walking, but Kohaku wouldn't have that, and grabbed his arm.

"Hey! I don't want you to be angry at me, so tell me what's wrong! How am I supposed to fix it, if I don't-"

"You want to know why I'm angry?" Kyoya snapped, yanking his arm from her grip. "It's because you're being an idiot! Care more about yourself for once in your life!"

He started to stomp off, their conversation having also caught everyone's attention, when Kohaku called out.

"It's all I know!" Kyoya stopped but didn't turn around as she went on. "I-I…I've always been the rock in my family. I'm the glue t-that held everyone together. I never…I never had someone else. You have to understand…"

She trailed off, holding her side and keeping her head down, but Kyoya just walked over to where the others were gathered; saying nothing.

"I'm sorry." Kohaku said softly, lifting her head with another fake smile and slightly red eyes. "I-I seem to only be doing things wrong lately. I'll just…be right back."

She slowly made her way to the kitchen, leaving Fu-kun to sit and wait outside the door. The twins also gave the door a look, before glaring at Kyoya.

"You could've said something, you know."

"Yeah. Doesn't he have enough problems already?"

"**Although he's not the only one damaged."**

They both gave Mori a glance.

"But he sort of brought it on himself."

"If it was going to hurt him this much, he shouldn't have started the whole thing."

Haruhi suddenly realized something and tore her eyes away from the kitchen door.

"On purpose?" She placed a hand on her chin.

"Huh?"

"Mori-senpai. Maybe he…made Honey-senpai hate him intentionally?"

Mori avoided her eyes, knowing she had hit the mark.

"That's impossible." Hikaru said.

"To be hated by Honey-senpai would mean the end of the world to Mori-senpai."

Haruhi scrunched up her face. "Maybe Mori-senpai felt it was his fault that Honey-senpai got that cavity."

"It was my fault." Mori said, catching everyone's attention. "Mitsukuni's cavity is due to my negligence…I forgot to remind him to brush his teeth before his nap the other day."

"**That's not your fault!" **The twins yelled, completely shocked that _this_ was what Mori was upset about.

"…What if he needs dentures?" Mori sunk into further depression while the others sweat dropped. "I couldn't forgive myself until Mitsukuni threw me to the ground."

Haruhi knelt beside him, curious. "Is that why you rejected that girl as well? Was it another way of punishing yourself?"

Mori glanced over at her, a bit surprised that Haruhi knew what was going through his head when she was so clueless to other's feelings towards her. _Just like Kohaku. _He thought. _I wondered then, what would Kohaku think if I accepted the proposal? Should I have accepted her chocolate, would Kohaku be upset? And if Haruhi saw that, who's to say Kohaku didn't?_ Mori sighed, placing his head back in his hand, conflicted. He wasn't the only one. Haruhi seemed to have recognized something as well.

_Mori's too nice of a guy to hurt a girls feelings. He coldly rejected that girl so that it would hurt him even more. Stopping Honey and not participating in Valentine's Day…It was punishment he inflicted on himself…I-Is Kohaku the same? I mean, I may have told her she can't have sugar as well, but she could _easily_ get away with sneaking some. Then why hasn't she? She's hardly trying when she's with Honey and her argument with me seemed a bit…forced as well. Could she be punishing herself as well?_

"That means both Honey-senpai and the girls were victims. For a second, it felt like _he_ was the victim. But what's going on with him? All this for a simple cavity?" Hikaru said.

"How exceptionally clumsy he is." Kaoru said after.

The doors to the clubroom were pushed open and Tamaki gave a small chuckle as he placed his hand on Honey's shoulder.

"So, Honey-senpai, what should we do?"

Honey's eyes immediately teared up and he rushed in the room, tackling Mori in a hug.

"Wah! I'm sorry, Takashi! I won't ever forget to brush my teeth again!"

Mori seemed surprised that Honey had been listening in, but accepted the apology and pat Honey on the head. _That's one problem solved. _Tamaki thought, looking over the touching scene before turning to the kitchen doors. _Now, onto the next one._

"Ah! I need to say sorry to Ko-kun too!" Honey unexpectedly exclaimed, jumping up and running into the kitchen with Fu-kun.

The hosts kind of glanced at each other, wondering if they should just wait there or if they should follow in after Honey. Tamaki was the first to move towards the doors and everyone followed after him, peeking in to find an interesting scene.

Kohaku had her head lying on her arms that were folded on the table, completely asleep, while Honey sat across from her; smiling and kicking his feet back and forth under the table.

"Hehe, Ko-kun's sleeping." He chuckled quietly as the others gathered around the sleeping host.

Leaning towards her face, Hikaru gave her a look. "I never noticed this before, but doesn't he look a lot less…_stressed_ when he's asleep?"

"Yeah." Kaoru said. "When he's awake, it's almost like he's constantly thinking too hard about something."

"Mmhmm! Ko-kun looks cute when he's sleeping. Neh, Takashi?"

"Ah." Mori replied with a soft smile, ruffling Kohaku's hair.

Tamaki smiled and nudged Kyoya. "What do you think, Kyoya?"

He frowned. "I think he is stubborn and will get himself seriously injured one day if he doesn't learn to properly take care of himself."

"So you _do_ care?"

"Not in the slightest." Kyoya pushed up his glasses to hide his frustration. "If rumor gets out that one of our hosts is constantly getting hurt and does not bother to take care of himself, how can we expect him to take care of our clients? We do not need our reputation ruined because of his negligence towards himself."

"But that's just the way he is!" Haruhi said, defending Kohaku. "He said so himself! It's all he knows! He only knows how to be strong for others because he had no one to be strong for _him_!"

"Then he should grow up already and learn to take care of himself. Waiting for someone else's strength will get him nowhere."

Haruhi opened her mouth to continue the argument, but someone stopped her by placing a hand on her shoulder.

"It's okay, Haru-chan." It was Kohaku, looking down at her with the first true smile shown in a while. "I know where Kyoya-kun is coming from and it's not the first time I've been told to grow up." She laughed a bit. "My mom used to tell me _all_ the time. Besides, he has a point. I can't take care of others until I learn to take care of myself, right?"

Haruhi looked up at her with a frown. "I guess."

Kohaku leaned down to Haruhi with a smirk. "Thanks for sticking up for me though, Haru-chan."

Haruhi pushed her back in playful annoyance as Kohaku laughed about it. _Good. Their fight is over. _Tamaki thought as he joined in the fun by hanging off of Haruhi. _I wonder when Kyoya will realize how much he cares for her though. He needs to recognize that before he can begin to understand her, but they'll be good for each other._ He smiled brightly and continued to nag the two girls when Kohaku seemed to remember something.

"Oh! Haruhi, I made you something to make up to you, but you've been avoiding me all day and I don't want it to go to waste."

She hurried into the main room with everyone and, after searching through her bag for a while, she pulled out the bento and handed it to Haruhi.

"Here you go." She said as Haruhi opened it and her eyes widened.

"Y-you _made_ this?"

Kohaku nodded, a blush lighting up her cheeks. "Well, I really _was_ sorry and thought I should make it up to you for bringing me dinner all the time. S-So I looked up a bunch of recipes and made you lunch. It might be a bit jumbled though. I ran into some guys and it fell out of my bag by accident." She gave a small wave and pointed to her hand where, unnoticed by the hosts until now, there were a number of red burns and cuts. "Burnt myself a few times though. Cut myself too. Who knew it was so hard to make those little octopus sausages?"

Haruhi walked over and hit Kohaku on the head.

"Ow!"

"Idiot. You didn't need to do this…but thanks, Kohaku."

Haruhi smiled and Kohaku did the same, until the twins shoved their way in to ruin the moment.

"Kohaku's…"

"…bento?"

"**We want some!"**

"Hey!" Tamaki said. "If anyone should get some, it should be me! I'm their father after all!"

He posed dramatically, but the twins knocked him over unapologetically. **"Whoops!~"**

Kohaku laughed, until someone tackled her to the ground as well, ramming into her ribs painfully.

"Ko-kun! I'm sorry I hurt you and called you names! I'm super sorry!" Honey wailed and Kohaku shakily pat his head.

"T-That's okay, Honey-kun. I know you didn't really mean it but…ugh, could you get off? You're kind of hurting me."

"Oh! Sorry, Ko-kun!"

He got off her and Mori helped her up as she winced and touched her side. Mori gave her a look and she flushed a bit at being caught.

"I-It doesn't hurt too bad, Takashi. I'll be okay."

"Kohaku."

She sighed, knowing what he was trying to ask without him actually saying anything.

"I bumped into an ex-boyfriend of one of my guests. I didn't want to cause and trouble so I sent Fu-kun to get help, but he got caught a-and I couldn't let him get hurt so I protected him…is all."

Mori ruffled her hair again and she glanced up at him in confusion.

"You're not mad?"

He shook his head. "It's good to protect your friends, but protecting yourself is important too."

She nodded. "Right. I'll remember that. Thanks Takashi."

"Ah."

Kohaku chuckled and filed out with the rest of the hosts, hoping that tomorrow would be a better day. As she was heading out though, Haruhi mentioned something to her.

"Don't run off like you did, Kohaku. I was worried enough to risk calling up Kyoya-senpai."

Kohaku blinked, her mouth have dropped open, before she handed Fu-kun to Haruhi and started running down the steps towards the others' limos.

"Where are you going?!" Haruhi shouted after her.

"I forgot something! J-Just wait for me!"

Haruhi shook her head and looked down at the ferret in her arms. "I may never understand her." _**I know what you mean.**_

Haruhi blinked and looked at the ferret in shock. "D-Did you just-" Fu-kun tilted his head to the side and Haruhi put a hand to her head with a sigh. "I am _seriously _hanging out with the hosts too much."

Meanwhile, Kyoya had just begun to get into his limo with Tamaki, when Kohaku shouted his name and he mentally sighed. _What now?_ Kohaku stopped in front of him with one hand on her side and the other on her knee, as she tried to catch her breath.

"Might you hurry this up? I would like to leave." Kyoya said bluntly, adjusting his glasses.

Kohaku quickly straightened up, taking in a deep breath before bowing low at the waist.

"I'm sorry for making you worried! And I promise to never do what I did again without giving you proper notification!" She half-shouted, eyes shut and still bowed.

_Proper notification? This…idiot! _Kyoya let out and undignified "Pft."

Kohaku, confused, looked up in question.

"You…" Kyoya said, putting a hand up to the side of his head with a smile. "You surely are the _biggest_ idiot I have ever met."

With that same smirk on his face, he bent down and flicked her on the forehead as he climbed into the limo.

"And I wasn't worried."

Rubbing her forehead as he closed the door to the limo, she smiled brightly and Kyoya mentally frowned when he felt something in his chest. _Odd._ Seeing how happy Kohaku was though, he couldn't help but want to tease her more and rolled down his window with a stoic expression.

"Expect to be working hard tomorrow, Kohaku-kun. My services do not come cheap, after all."

Surprisingly, she smiled and gave him a mock salute.

"I look forward to it, Kyoya-sama!"

Rolling up the window with a shake of his head, Kyoya chuckled.

"What kind of moron looks _forward_ to work?"

Tamaki also chuckled, surprising Kyoya who had forgotten he was in the limo.

"Only _Kohaku-kun_ would look forward to working with the renowned Shadow King."

Pushing up his glasses once more, Kyoya cleared his throat.

"Yes, well, at least I'll actually be getting something _done_."

"Aha! Don't be such a stick in the mud! After all, tomorrow's Valentine's Day!"

"Don't remind me." Kyoya grumbled. "I still need to find a florist who will deliver over twelve dozen roses by tomorrow."

"Oh!~ You'll find someone, Kyoya. You always do."

Tamaki smiled and Kyoya smirked, dialing a number on his phone.

"Idiot."

* * *

**(Kohaku's POV)**

* * *

Valentine's Day had finally arrived, much to the joy of Honey and I because, along with Valentine's Day, came the fact that Honey's cavity had been filled and the sugar ban was finally lifted. **(AN: I know it wasn't lifted until **_**after**_** Valentine's Day, but roll with it)** Of course, I was working to help set up the club room and move the dozens of flowers, so I couldn't sit down and enjoy the sweets like Honey. But, I was having fun in my own way.

"Kyoya-sama!~ Where do you want his bunch of roses?"

"Over there is fine."

I smirked and walked a ways away from where he wanted me to go.

"Over here?"

"No. Over there."

I moved in the opposite direction. "Here?"

He sighed with a roll of his eyes. "Are you _trying_ to annoy me?"

I smiled. "Just trying to have a little fun."

"Well, try to enjoy yourself a little less. We have customers we need to serve."

Chuckling, I placed the bouquet of roses on the table as he asked, before taking my place and welcoming the large group of girls with the others. Needless to say, Honey and I received the most sweets and, as soon as club hours were over, I chowed down on a bag of gummy bears.

"My God, I missed this!"

Haruhi walked by our table, stopping when she heard me.

"You can't tell me you didn't have _one_ sweet this whole entire time."

I fake gasped, putting a hand to my chest in feigned shock.

"What kind of person do you think I am, Haru-chan? I assure you, I supported Honey-kun 100 percent and didn't touch a single sweet."

Her eyes widened in surprise. "Not even when I gave you back your keys?"

"Nope. The only time I even went into the kitchen was to make you that bento."

"What about the popsicle?"

Mori had wandered over and passed Honey another cake as he answered for me.

"He asked if it was sugar-free."

Haruhi was still shocked. "W-Well, you _must_ have had something when you went out with Shindo-kun."

I went to respond, but the man himself had entered the room and beat me to it.

"Not quite, Haru-chan." Shindo said with a smile. "He specifically said he wouldn't eat desert on account of Honey-san. That is, before he snuck out on me."

He said it playfully, but I could see the confusion and possible hurt lacing his eyes. Not wanting to attract anymore attention from the curious hosts, I left Fu-kun in charge of guarding my sweets and pulled Shindo out the door for a bit more privacy; passing a girl on her way in. I knew I needed to talk with him, but it would be much easier without the hosts trying to eavesdrop. Stopping next to a window a ways away from the music room, I let go of his hand before bowing like I did to Kyoya the day before.

"I'm _really_ sorry about running like that. It was just-"

A hand touched my chin and Shindo straightened me with a small smile.

"it's alright, Ko-chan. It was my fault for rushing things before I got to know you. You have a good group of friends though. Haru-chan properly chewed me out that day for kissing you."

My face turned a deep shade of red at the remembrance of what had happened and Shindo laughed brightly.

"Ahaha! Don't be like that, Ko-chan! If you get any cuter, I might end up doing it again."

He winked as I somehow managed to get redder.

"B-B-But I-I don't…I don't like you like that, Shindo-kun!" I said, bowing again. "I'm r-really sorry, but I c-cannot return your feelings."

Surprisingly, he chuckled and helped me up again.

"No need to bow, Ko-chan. I kind of figured you didn't feel the same…after you ditched me at dinner."

"S-Sorry." I muttered, bowing my head.

"It's okay. I don't mind. It was my treat anyway, but there is something I want to know."

I glanced up. "W-What?"

He fiddled with his earring, nervously. "It's about what you said before you ran out. 'I can't be hurt again'? Did someone hurt you, Ko-chan?"

"Yes."

His eyes widened as I shuffled a bit.

"Could you…tell me about it?"

"I-I…had a friend who liked me and took me to a-a-a dance. I was, well…as I am now; a bit boyish. And I didn't know how to dance. He…tried to get me to, was even willing to teach me…but I felt like we didn't deserve to be together. He was cute and I was…" I chuckled bitterly and gestured to myself. "_This_…S-So I told him I wasn't going to dance and that he could dance with the other girls. They-the girls-got mad at me for not dancing with him…Told me I-I didn't deserve to be with him. I knew it was t-t-true, but being told by someone else…We both ended up crying in the bathrooms. H-He thought I was being mean a-and I knew I could never have that kind of relationship…"

"Ko-chan…" He said, but I gave a weak attempt at a smile.

"It's okay. I-I've gotten over it for the most part. Even helped him get together with my best friend."

He hugged me and I tensed, unsure about what to do, but eventually gave in and hugged him back. As my hands gripped the back of his shirt, I shoved my tears back as best I could. _This is what I need. Just someone else who's strong and will let me lean on them for a while. I-I don't need a boyfriend…just a rock to hold me down._

"I'm sorry, Ko-chan. That kid didn't know what he had."

Shindo pulled away with a smile and gently wiped away the few tears that had leaked out as I smiled back. I may not have loved Shindo like a boyfriend however, he was definitely very close to me, even though we've only known each other for a little while. Shindo then reached into his pocket and pulled out a black rose, handing it to me with a soft smile.

"W-What-"

He pressed a finger to my lips. "Shh…Just because you're a bit boyish doesn't mean you don't get a Valentine."

I took it and tucked it in my blazer, as Shindo grinned.

"Well, I better get going. Don't want the hosts coming after me for stealing you away."

"Lucky you." I said. "You get to avoid the interrogation."

He laughed and pecked me on the cheek, causing me to flush.

"See you later! I put your phone in your pocket!"

I sighed with a smile and waved as he ran off. I couldn't really be mad at him, after all. Just because I don't feel that way about him doesn't mean his feelings will change right away either. The moment I walking into the clubroom though, I was bombarded with questions, as expected.

"If you really want to know, I got my phone back and told him 'no'."

"**No what?"**

I smirked. "Now _that_ is a secret."

With that, I sat back down and ate my sweets. After all, a little bit of mystery only makes things more enjoyable. Yet, some secrets need to be told in order to evade further complications. So, once the other hosts had left, I took a deep breath as the twins came over.

"So what did you…"

"…want to tell us?"

"I-I'm not gay…I'm a girl." I replied quickly.

The twins glanced at each other before looking back over at me.

"Y-You're serious?" Hikaru asked, and I nodded.

"Yes."

"Why didn't you tell us?" Kaoru questioned.

I wrung my hands together, afraid of what they were going to say when I told them the truth.

"I-I've always been mistaken for a guy anyway, so I just stopped telling people the truth. T-Then I started seeing how long it took for people to figure it out and…it became a game. I-It helps me learn who my real friends are because some people don't treat me any differently from when they thought I was a guy…but there are some people who hate me for not telling them…and I'm sorry for not telling you two. I'm just afraid that you'll be mad or will treat me differently."

I gazed down at the floor as Hikaru's voice echoed in the large room.

"I can't believe you lied to us."

I flinched, squeezing my eyes shut in preparation for him to yell at me, but two arms wrapped around my shoulders instead.

"But we can't be mad at you just for that." Hikaru said.

"Yeah." Kaoru smiled down at me. "Just because you're a girl doesn't mean you're not our friend."

"**You're still Kohaku."**

"T-Thanks, you two. Oh, but don't tell Kyoya-kun. He's the only one who doesn't know now and I want him to actually figure it out."

They smiled, giving me two thumbs up. **"You got it."**

We all grinned and headed home-the twins giving me a lift-as I felt a huge weight lift off my back. _I guess being friends with the hosts isn't such a bad thing after all. With this, I can definitely carry on._


	12. Chapter 10

**Whoo! This chapter took a while to figure out what I wanted and I'm sorry if the last couple of chapters made Kohaku bipolar. I had a couple of people complain about that and I didn't mean to make her like that, but my own personal issues like to seep into my writing occasionally. So sorry again. Anyway! Here's the next chapter and I added a few things that you guys suggested. I went ahead and combined the Alice In Wonderland chapter and the Newspaper Club one. so I hop you enjoy and like it. tell me what you think please! I added a Kyoya bit int there too and I want to know what you guys think of that. ^^**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything Ouran, only my own characters. I also do not own "Mad As Rabbits" By Panic At The Disco! And if you don't understand the lyrics, here's a nice website I found that explains the meaning behind them. www. songmeanings songs/view/3530822107858709066/**

* * *

"Mad As Rabbits"

By Panic at the Disco!

"_The poor son of a humble chimney sweep  
Fell to a cheap crowd  
So stay asleep and put on that cursive type  
You know we live in a toy.  
Paul Cates bought himself a trumpet from the salvation army  
But there ain't no sunshine in his song  
We must reinvent love,  
Reinvent love,  
__Reinvent love_.  
He took the days for pageant  
Became as mad as rabbits  
With bushels of bad habits  
Who could ask for anymore?  
Yea who could have more."

* * *

I found myself walking into the gates of the school with an elder gentleman in front of me. I didn't recognize him, but I knew I was supposed to follow him nonetheless. We were soon in front of the principal's office and the man told me to wait outside while he went to speak to the man. I sat in the hallway and put on my headphones, playing a game on my ipod when someone sat beside me. Glancing up, my eyes widened as I came face-to-face with Haruhi _in her middle school uniform_.

"H-Haruhi?" I questioned as I lowered my headphones and put my ipod away.

"Hm? Oh, hey Kohaku. I forgot you were transferring to Ouran."

"A-Ah." I replied, not really sure what was going on. "You've changed a lot in a year."

I looked her over in interest, a bit jealous at how nice she looked with long hair.

"Yeah, well it looks like I'm not the only one. You seem a bit older, and wasn't your hair white before?"

Right at that moment, something suddenly clicked in my mind; my hand being pulled through my now _auburn_ hair. _Haruhi and I have gone back a year, which means she's in middle school and I'm…_

"…not dead."

"Huh?"

"N-Nothing!" I told her with a smile, not meaning to let that slip out. "I was just wondering how we got here and all. I mean, weren't we doing something before this?"

She put a hand to her chin in thought. "Hm…I don't really know. Maybe we should ask him."

The person she pointed at had me in shock once more. It was a boy with white hair and violet eyes, who appeared to be speaking with a pink stuffed bunny; both of which were holding a banana. The boy was familiar though. He was wearing a black, floppy-eared hoodie over a black and white stripped shirt, but what _really_ caught my eye, was the fluffy white ferret tail that poked out of the back of his black shorts.

"F-Fu-kun?"

The boy turned to me with a smirk and mouthed something that made me turn pale with shock.

"_I'm going to tell him."_

"Uh, Kohaku? Are you okay?"

Haruhi tugged on my light blue v-neck and I quickly turned and grabbed her hand as Fu-kun and the bunny ran down the hall.

"Haruhi! That was Fu-kun! We have to go after him!"

"W-What?! Why?!"

I began pulling her down the hall after the two in a panic.

"I can't be late! If I'm too late, Fu-kun's going to tell him!"

"Who?!"

"The only person who doesn't know! Kyoya-kun!"

I skidded to a stop in front of the double doors leading into the music room and yanked them open. The rabbit and Fu-kun stopped in the center of the room and the roaring of a motor filled the empty space as the two of them sank into the floor; Fu-kun giving me a wave.

"That damn rat!"

I ran forward after them as Haruhi tried to stop me from behind.

"Wait, Kohaku!"

Unfortunately, the moment she grabbed a hold of the back of my shirt, we both slipped on the peels of Fu-kun and Usa-chan's bananas. Thus causing the two of us to fall down the hole. Although, I suppose that's nothing compared to how we both ended up.

"Damn. I can't get this off." Haruhi grumbled, her butt stuck in a vase." Kohaku, could you help me get this…off…"

"Haruhi! Where are you?! I can't see!"

And I had my head stuck in another vase.

"Great…Kohaku, can you stop flailing? You're going to-"

"Ow!" I shouted, having stubbed my foot into the leg of the piano.

"-run into something…" Haruhi sighed.

I then heard what sounded like something running across the strings inside the piano. I fell backwards onto my butt, holding my foot, and having no idea what was going on.

"Um…" Haruhi said. "I can't get this vase off. Could you lend me a hand?"

I didn't know who she was talking to, but I would rather not be kept in the dark. Quite literally.

"Hey! What about me?!"

"Just go smash your head into a wall or something. It's your fault we're in this mess to begin with.

"Haruhi! You're so mean!"

I could practically see her roll her eyes, when a new voice spoke up.

"My~ You've gotten yourselves into a nasty position, haven't you?"

I soon felt the vase being pulled and it wasn't long before Nekozawa freed me from my prison. Leaning back on my hands, I smiled up at him from the floor.

"Thanks, Nekozawa-kun."

"Hm? Who is this 'Nekozawa-kun'? I am the mysterious merchant N."

I blinked up at him in confusion, but rolled with it. "Okay then. Thanks, N-kun."

"Aren't you forgetting someone?" Haruhi said with a glare.

"Oh? If I remember right, you told me to go slam my head into a wall. Can't you do the same with your butt?" I smirked.

"Fine. I'm sorry, Kohaku. Now help me get out of this vase!"

"Ah, I guess. If N-kun has something to help."

"This drink is perfect at a time like this!" He said, reaching into his cloak and pulling out a small vile. "If you drink this, you'll shrink in an instant. And if you eat La Expander, which comes with The Shrinker, you can wonderfully and gigantically expand."

"Oh. That's cool. Hey Haruhi. I forgot, but who were you talking to before? It wasn't N-kun."

"Some boy who came out of the piano. He ate a banana on the floor and went out that door over there."

She pointed to a small set of double doors and I walked over to them, lying down on the floor to see. When I opened the tiny doors, I saw Shiro whispering to Fu-kun and Usa-chan. They spotted me and Shiro ran off just as I reached my hand in to grab Fu-kun.

"Come on you little-Ow!" Pulling my hand back, I scowled at the doors. "Haruhi! He bit me!"

She just frowned. "Good. Now hurry up and help me."

I sucked on the end of my finger and took the bottle from 'N'. Letting Haruhi drink some, I took some as well and we both shrank down small enough to fit through the doors. Just before we left though, 'N' said something interesting.

"Beyond that door lies a world of magic. If you travel unequipped, you will regret it."

I gave him a nod. "I-I'll keep that in mind."

Then, I closed the doors and followed Haruhi down a dark hallway. On our right, there were a group of lights that followed us, spelling out the kanji for 'woman'. I glared at them and nudged Haruhi, gesturing towards the lights.

"What's this for?"

"How should I know?"

I shrugged, then noticed that it was counting down. "It's counting down? To what?"

Haruhi looked as it flashed a picture of a bunch of bananas. "Bananas?"

"Ah! Haruhi don't-"

I was cut off as we both ended up slipping on banana peels once more.

"Again?!" I shouted.

This time though, Haruhi fell down a hole while I slipped past her through a door. Unexpectedly, I fell face first onto a dirt path. As I pushed myself up, I spat out sod and looked around at the forest I had ended up in.

"U-Uh, Haruhi?"

There was no response and I glanced behind me to see that the door I had fallen through had disappeared. _Well, looks like I can't go back. I guess I can only hope Haruhi and I meet up again somewhere._ Dusting my pants off, I sighed as I looked down at the brown stains.

"Today was a bad day to wear white." With a sigh, I began walking through the forest. "Well, this is different than I expected."

"Look! What an odd flower."

I turned to my left and sweat dropped at the trio of flower…_people_ staring at me.

"A flower without color or fragrance would be shunned by any garden. Right, Benibara? Suzuran?"

"Hinagiku," One of the flower people said. "Don't be so blunt…Doesn't this flower look _different_ though? Shabby but, nice."

I blinked at the flower people and leaned closer. "Do I…know you?"

I had this nagging feeling that I knew them, but my mind was drawing a blank. The one in the middle though, kind of ticked me off a bit.

"This is the garden of Lobelia. The charmed flower garden permitted only to fragrant young ladies. You, shabby flower, in which species do you belong?"

"I'm not a flower." I said, but I wasn't quite paying attention to them. My mind was wandering and I reached out towards the stems of one of the flower people, thinking out loud. "I wonder what will happen if I pluck you…"

They screamed and I flinched back in surprise. _Oops. Did I say that out loud?_ They suddenly grew angry and began wrapping me in thorny vines.

"Did you come here to defile our garden?!"

"You're the worst!"

"You're no flower! You're a weed!"

They swung me around in the air and, upon realizing that I couldn't escape, I kind of freaked out in a desperate attempt to get away from these things.

"H-Hold on! Calm down! What kind of garden is this anyway?! If I'm a weed, then this forest is cursed!"

I was suddenly dropped in the dirt and the center flower person spoke.

"We can't argue with that. After all, this forest is truly cursed."

"Yes." Another flower person said. "Until recently, our rich land was ruled by the red king and we used to live in peace."

An image of a blonde haired, violet eyed king filled my thoughts as they went on.

"But after the king fell ill, the black king took over and trouble began. The black king is tempermental."

"If anyone upsets the king a little, it leads to an immediate execution order. Even if one escapes, it's impossible to elude the curse. The forest did not satisfy his sense of beauty, so he cursed it by taking away its light."

I put a hand to my chin in thought as the three flowers clung to each other.

"We hate the king, but what can we flowers do? We can only huddle together and await a savior!"

"Be strong, my darlings." Benibara said, in an attempt to comfort the other two.

"Well, I don't really like you three, but Haruhi probably went to this king. So I guess I can help you. Tell me about the black king."

They seemed a tad surprised that I would help them, but what they pulled out reminded me of why I was here to begin with.

"This is what he looks like."

In the frame they held up, was a picture of Kyoya wearing a twisted crown of branches and a large smirk on his face as he leaned forward on a pitch black sword. Shivers racked up my spine ad I considered turning around and leaving, but then I remembered what Fu-kun was planning on doing. _I can't believe I'm doing this._

"Urg…I really don't want to, but I don't really have much of a choice…Have you, by any chance, seen Fu-I mean, a boy with a ferret tail?"

They gave each other a look, and turned back to me, pointing deeper into the forest.

"That way. He is the black king's messenger, so if you find him, you shall find the king."

I nodded my thanks and headed through the forest, only to pause and sigh. _I have to fight Kyoya…I'm so screwed. I hope you're doing better than me, Haruhi._ Unknown to me, Haruhi wasn't doing much better and was currently jumping out of a pool of Lobelia crocs.

* * *

Having asked around a small town about where I could find the black king, I was directed towards the 'Well-Informed' Duchess' home. The moment I walked in the door however, I stopped _just short_ of stepping on a banana peel. _Hmph, I'm not falling for this trick again._

"Aw, you didn't trip. The other one did."

Looking up from the banana peel covered floor, I caught sight of an amber eyed…cat.

"Yeah, well, I've fallen for this trick one too many times today. And what do you mean, 'the other one'?"

He just smirked from the couch, his tail swishing back and forth.

"I am the Duchess and this is my cat. I have heard that you are searching to defeat the black king."

I glanced at the eccentric woman and rubbed the back of my neck.

"A-Actually, I wasn't going to _defeat_ him, per say…" _I really just want to stop Fu-kun from telling him my secret._

"I know! It is natural for a hero to appear when a damsel is in distress."

I blinked, giving the cat a glance before turning back.

"I-I don't think I understand. And what do you mean 'distress'?"

"You don't know?" The cat said, opening an eye. "She's been sentenced to death."

I gave the Duchess a look as she cried into a handkerchief.

"What did I do? I was only curious about the black king and his relationship with his attendant Tachibana."

"I would want to kill you too." I muttered with a face palm.

She then moved over to the side. "If anything happens to me, what will become of my dear baby?"

"Aren't you a bit young to have a kid?"

She went to respond, but two guards burst in and grabbed her.

"Duchess, by order of the black king…"

"We're here to collect you!"

"Ah! Wait! What about-" The doors slammed shut before I could finish. "-your kid…"

"Did you really think that doll was the Duchess' child?"

I looked at the cat before going to the cloth bundle and opening it to find a wooden cat voodoo doll.

"This doesn't make any sense. Why would she-" I turned, only to find the couch empty and the cat nowhere to be found.

Sighing, I left the Duchess' home and went out to find the castle. I had seen it from the Duchess' house, but without knowing exactly how to get there, I worried I would end up getting lost. _Knowing me, I would get lost and Kyoya will probably be laughing abut it._ Just then, I spotted the Duchess' cat leaning up against a tree.

"Hm? Hey, could you-"

The cat smirked and twisted around to the other side of the tree.

"Over here." A voice called, and there was the cat, leaning on a different tree. "Surprised?"

"I suppose."

He smirked again. "I can disappear and…"

"...reappear just like this." The cat said, popping up by another tree.

I raised a brow, already onto _their_ trick. "Okay then. You think you could tell me which way to go?"

"That'll depend…"

"…on where you want to go."

I rolled my eyes. "Personally, I would like to go home, but I need to get Haruhi first so I guess I'm going to the castle."

"You plan on ousting the black king yourself?"

"You must be really stupid."

"Says you. You're the ones playing around behind trees. Why don't you both just come out already? You're not fooling me." I grumbled.

"What do…"

"…you mean?"

I gave the cat a look and turned around to keep walking.

"Hey! Where…"

"…are you going?"

"To the castle. Didn't I say that already?"

I kept walking and the two of them tried to keep up without blowing their cover.

"But you don't…"

"…know which way to go!"

"I guess I'll get lost then, huh?" I replied with a shrug. "Either way, I'll find it sooner or later. And I'm not too stubborn to not ask for directions, so I suppose I don't really need your guys' help."

Suddenly, the two cats were in front of me with scowls on their faces and arms crossed.

"**You're as bad as the black king."**

I gave them a shit-eating grin. "I don't know what you mean."

They leaned forward, glaring at me.

"You're making…

"…us help you."

"That's not true." I smiled, walking between them. " I haven't _forced_ you to do anything."

**"****Demon."**

I laughed. "That's the best compliment I've heard all day! First a weed and now a demon. What next?…Now, might this demon know who you two are?"

The two cats dashed in front of me and posed.

**"We are the cheerful Cheshire cat doppelgangers!"**

"We used to be a single cat…"

"…until the king's curse split us in two."

"Is that so." I said. "You two don't seem too upset about it though. How'd you manage to piss the king off?"

They turned their backs to me and shrugged.

"It was only a prank. We dropped a pet elephant tortoise in his favorite turtle soup."

"We hate grown ups who don't get a joke."

I nodded. "Well, maybe the turtle was important."

They stopped walking and turned around.

**"You're on his side?"**

I shrugged. "Who knows? I'm just saying he probably had a good reason. Besides, if he really wanted to, he could have executed you."

They both looked at each other and put a hand to their throats, having just realized that was true. Of course, it took them a moment longer to notice I had kept walking, but they caught up soon enough.

"Well, how about…"

"…we go with you?"

I shrugged again. "You can if you want, but are you sure? I'm going to see the black king. You might make him mad and he could change his mind about not killing you."

They gulped, considering that.

**"Why would he do that?"**

I smirked. "He might realize that he only doubled his problem. Having two doppelgangers is worse than one after all."

They stopped walking and I turned back around.

"Well aren't you two coming?"

They looked nervously at each other and waved shakily.

"N-Nah."

"You go on ahead."

"We'll, uh…"

"…catch up with you later."

I smiled to myself and turned back around. "That's what I thought." I muttered, proudly.

I had, after all, fooled the two troublemakers into staying behind, thus keeping me out of too much trouble. _Although, I never did get directions. Whoops._ I stuffed my hands in my pockets and lazily kicked a stone as I walked. After a while, I walked into a building and strolled right past a table with a group of odd characters. I knew better than to get involved with them, but I still had no clue where I was going, and reluctantly back tracked.

"Uh, do you guys know-"

"No open seats here."

The man who cut me off was calmly sipping a cup of tea, his black hair covered with a large top hat.

"Yeah, no open seats here."

Next to him, was a young blonde kid eating pound after pound of cake. I glared at the kid first before glaring at the other.

"Weirdos."

I went to leave, my mind being made up, but the two called out to me.

"Ah! Wait! Please don't walk away!"

"It was a joke! There's plenty of open seats here, right?"

"Oh? But why should I? Looks to me like I'm not wanted here, so I'll just be on my wa-Gah!"

I was suddenly grabbed and pulled against a solid chest, my face getting red as I looked up into the emerald eyes of the Hatter.

"Don't say that~ We only wanted to have a little fun. Life gets dull without a pretty girl like you around."

My face grew redder and I lowered my head submissively.

"Fine. I'll sit down." I lifted my head and glared up at him. "But only for a little bit!"

He smiled with a chuckle. "All right."

He pulled my chair out for me as I sat. "I would like to ask you three something though." I glanced over at the one that was sleeping peacefully. "Well, _two _of you."

I froze suddenly as I felt a hand brush through my hair. Turning my head around, I glared at the grinning Hatter.

"W-What are you doing?"

"Your hair should be white."

I gave him a shocked look. "How did you-"

"I like your hair. Unfortunately, I'd like it better if it was white."

I sighed, deciding to ignore his hand as he messed with my hair and sipped at my tea.

"Yeah, well, it's not. So can we stop talking about my hair?"

His hands slipped around my neck and I shivered as his breath brushed my ear.

"Then what _should_ we talk about?"

_Okay, I'm getting uncomfortable now._ I set my tea down as calmly as I could, trying to keep my hands from shaking. _I don't do well with strangers, although I think I know him from somewhere._

"Can you please let go of me?"

"Why? I thought you liked me." He pouted and I pushed his arms off me.

"I don't like you like that, Shindo-kun. Now could you _please_ go sit down in your own chair?"

Everything seemed to freeze for a second and I wondered if I had said something wrong, but Shindo-Is that what I called him?-released me and went to his seat with a smile.

"You are a curious one~" He said.

"Uh…thanks."

Just then, a huge tray of sweets rolled up to the table and the blonde kid picked up a cake to eat. I too, picked up a sweet and began eating when I had a thought.

"_Man_, this is so good. It would suck if one of us got a cavity or something." I waved my fork at…Honey. "We'd both probably die without sweets."

All of a sudden, the sleeping dormouse's nose bubble popped and he sat up.

"Make sure you brush your teeth properly." He told the boy.

"'kay."

The mouse guy smiled, causing me to flush slightly, before he fell back asleep.

"Wow, uh…" I tried to distract myself. "Never seen a nose bubble pop."

"Riddle. Riddle." Shindo called and I mouthed the words silently in confusion. "Would you give up eating sweets for three days?"

I gave him a look. "No. Probably not."

He set his cup down with a loud clatter. "No! That's definitely not true!" He stood abruptly, with his hands on the table. "If that was true, you wouldn't have skipped dessert at our dinner date!"

"I-I guess I would then. If it was for someone else." I said nervously.

Shindo nodded, replacing his smile as he returned to his seat. _Woah. Talk about mood change._

"Neh, neh! How about some wine?"

I gave a look at Honey as he gestured to a mannequin that held a wine bottle.

"No thanks. The legal age is twenty here, right? You and I may be close, but it still isn't quite legal yet. And I don't really drink either."

The blonde Lolita blinked at me, but gave me a smile. Next thing I know, a clock chime went off and as I tried to locate the source, a _row_ of grandfather clocks appeared out of nowhere. My mouth dropped open and I gestured to them, hoping that I wasn't the only one who was seeing this. They all just ignored me though, Shindo pulling out a pocket watch to check the time.

"Here, it's always three in the afternoon."

_Then why did you check your pocket watch, you git. There are twenty clocks right here!_

"That's why it's always snack time!" Honey called out, shoving another slice of cake in his mouth.

"Okay! I give up! What the hell _is_ this place?!" I shouted, tossing my hands in the air. _The clocks just disappeared!_

"Riddle. Riddle." Shindo sang again, and I groaned as I dropped my head in my hands. "Why do you look and act the way you do?"

I lifted my head and glared. "What kind of question is that?"

"What do you plan on doing once the plot ends?"

I froze. "I-I…I haven't thought about that."

"Why?"

"Why?" I repeated.

"Why?" Shindo smiled.

"I guess I haven't really had time to think about it. I never really knew what I wanted to do in life and once the plot ends…I guess I'll just…become a writer or something."

Shindo put a hand to his chin in thought. "But, certainly your life is more than just following a plot line, yes?"

I frowned. "Well, what else is there?"

"There are many other things. Fun things."

"Fun things?" I questioned.

"Fun things."

"Fun things." Honey said.

"Fun things." The awoken mouse, Mori, said.

"…Right…" Suddenly, the sound of a trumpet being blown was heard. "What's that?"

"A court trial is about to begin."

"For the Duchess, right?"

Shindo nodded, before standing and looking at a couple of guards who had just walked in.

"It appears we are being summoned as well. He held out his hand to me. "Shall we?"

I rolled my eyes, but allowed him to help me up. We reached the king's castle much sooner than I thought. It turns out I had been wandering in the right general direction to begin with and I wasn't too far from my destination. The only problem was, I had forgotten the sole purpose of coming to the castle, _again_. I only remembered once we had been gathered in front of Kyoya's throne, and I caught sight of Fu-kun standing next to him.

"Fu-kun, you mangy rat! Get over here so I can strangle your scrawny little neck!"

"Oh please." He said. "It's not like I told him yet…_Although_-"

"Don't you dare." I growled, but before I could charge my way up there, I was cut off by Kyoya clearing his throat.

"As much as I enjoy watching the two of you bicker, I would much rather discuss what it is you're talking about and what it has to do with me."

I flinched. "N-Nothing! It has absolutely _nothing_ to do with you."

He glared darkly and I chuckled nervously. Kyoya waved his hand then, motioning to the guards by the door.

"Bring in the others."

I turned towards the door as three others were brought in.

"Haruhi!"

I grinned, glad that I was right in assuming that she would end up here sooner or later. Of course, Haruhi wasn't nearly as pleased, as she hit me over the head with her fist.

"Idiot. Where have you been?"

"Ow! Looking for you!"

She rolled her eyes as the twins, who had been brought in with her, put their arms across her shoulders and grinned at me.

"We found…"

"…your friend!"

"And got caught by the guards while you were at it, I see." I smiled back and they glanced at each other nervously when Kyoya interrupted again.

"Now that you've had your _touching_ reunion," He said sarcastically. "I believe we should clear up a misunderstanding."

I blinked up at him. "Misunderstanding?"

He sighed. "It's not so much you, as it is your friend there."

I glanced at Haruhi and she shrugged, as Kyoya went on.

"Executions and other punishments are conducted to benefit the kingdom. Please understand this. In the case of the cursed forest of Lobelia, it was simply for the sake of reducing the cost of utilities."

We were all confused at that. _Okay, now I'm lost._

"The sun doesn't reach that forest to begin with. They used light from an artificial sun that they installed with taxpayer money."

I nodded. "Okay. That makes sense. I'm guessing that the turtle the cat put in your soup was important as well?"

He nodded. "The elephant tortoise he cooked was supposed to have been used for breeding a new national food source, and the Duchess wasted a huge amount of paper on groundless gossip."

"And let me guess, the red king is a useless idiot who treats everything like fun and games?"

Kyoya nodded with a sigh, resting his head on his hand. "Yes. Thanks to the spend-thrift red king, our kingdom is in great deficit."

I sighed with him, sitting cross-legged on the floor. "That's got to suck."

"Quite." He replied.

"But that doesn't give you the right to execute people!" Haruhi suddenly shouted, before glancing down at me. "Why aren't you saying anything?!"

"Uh…" I glanced back over at Kyoya. "I think it's wrong, unless you have a fair trial…You _do_ have trials, don't you?"

"Unfortunately. It was thanks to a trial that the Cheshire cat wasn't beheaded. Although, I'm considering a retrial for the Hatter." Kyoya glared at Shindo, who pulled me up and trapped me in a hug as he glared back.

I sighed. "Really?"

Kyoya raised a brow. "Would you rather I went over _your_ crimes first?"

"My crimes?" I questioned, not sure what exactly he was talking about.

"Yes." He said, narrowing his eyes at me as he leaned forward to rest his chin on his hands, which held his sword; reminding me eerily of the picture the Lobelia flowers showed me. "For instance, the debt you owe me for replacing your stolen furniture."

"What? I don't-" I suddenly remembered the day I returned home to find my apartment ransacked, and the cost of the typewriter in particular. "Oh…but I'm paying you back!"

"Slowly, but then there is also the way you sneak around all my questions and manipulate those around you."

"T-That's not a crime! I'm allowed to have secrets just like you and everyone else!"

"Not from me." He said, looking down at me and making me fell twenty times smaller than I was. "I know everything about everyone, yet I can't get a single piece of information about you."

My fists clenched at my sides. "But you're having fun, aren't you?"

He looked surprised almost, but stood up from his throne and walked towards me; the long, black, fur-lined cape billowing out behind him. I took a step back and bumped into a wall, that I swear wasn't there before. _In fact, where did everyone go?_ A hand slammed into the wall next to my head, drawing my attention to a smirking Kyoya who was mere inches from my face. _This is just like before. Please don't let it end in the same way._

"Fun?"

His breath brushed my face and I shivered as I quickly realized how close we actually were. _What's going on? Why do I feel so nervous? I wasn't like this before. Before I was scared and now…_

"You're right. I enjoy trying to figure you out…but you know what I enjoy more?"

I shook my head shakily, too nervous to speak as heat flowed to my cheeks. His smirk widened and he leaned towards my ear to whisper.

"_I enjoy that frightened look on your face."_

* * *

I sat up abruptly on the couch, breathing hard as I tried to make sense of what just happened. _It was just a dream. _I thought, holding my head in my hand. _But that part with Kyoya…What was that?_ I sighed and went to pull a hand through my hair, but stopped upon having my fingers run into something in my hair. Pulling it off, I stared at a black hair band with a bow on it as I heard whispers nearby.

"Uh-oh."

"He noticed."

Lifting my head up, I glared at the twins in purple and pink striped Cheshire cat outfits as they tried to hide a frilly, light blue dress behind their backs.

"Hikaru. Kaoru. What are you doing?"

They glanced at each other in silent communication, before looking at me.

**"Nothing."**

"And you expect me to believe that?"

Just then, Kyoya passed by in an elegant red and black dress as he wrote something down in his notebook.

"They were trying to dress you up as Alice for the cosplay today."

The twins glared at his back, sticking out their tongues.

**"Fun-killer."**

He smirked, pushing up his glasses threateningly. "Just think of it as revenge for convincing Tamaki that I was the Queen of Hearts. When you're done with them, Kohaku-kun, you're outfit is hanging in the changing room. Be quick about it though. The guests should be arriving soon."

I smirked as well, forgetting about my dream as I cracked my knuckles. "My pleasure. Shouldn't take more that two minutes."

The twins paled and ran off, fearing my tired self, and I yawned as I headed towards the changing room; not feeling up for chasing the twins around just yet. Pausing in front of Kyoya's table, I set the hair band down with a snicker.

"Off with their heads."

He smirked as well, before I went and put on my outfit. I had pretty much guessed that there wasn't really a character in Alice and Wonderland that fit my shy Host Club persona, so when I saw what they chose for me I was a bit surprised.

"The king?"

_Okay. I'm totally confused._ After finishing putting on the red and white outfit, I walked out of the changing room and held up the crown I was supposed to wear.

"Um, can someone explain this to me? Why am _I_ the king? Shouldn't that be Tamaki?"

I pointed a finger at the blonde and he pointed at himself, also confused.

"As it turns out," Kyoya said. "the king in Alice and Wonderland is actually very timid. We thought it would suit your Host Club persona better than the caterpillar."

I nodded. "I guess that makes sense…but does that mean-"

He smirked as he cut me off. "You are married to me. Yes."

Heat rose to my cheeks as I remembered my dream and I turned away from him so he wouldn't see. _God. What is wrong with me? It was just a dream!_

"R-Right. I'm going to, uh, look for Fu-kun!"

I hurried away from him, mentally scolding myself for acting this way. _What am I doing?! Why is that dream effecting me so much?!_ I found Fu-kun over at Honey's table and scooped him up as I sat down. _Fu-kun. What's wrong with me? __**You can't be serious. Are you really that clueless?**_

"I'm not clueless." I mumbled at him, and he rolled his eyes. _**Right. Just keep thinking that.**_

I frowned and opened my mouth to retort, but Kyoya announced that it was time to open. We welcomed the guests, as always, and I ended up paired with Kyoya. Go figure. The rest of the hosting went along pretty well though. No one broke anything and Tamaki was the only one whose feelings were hurt-courtesy of Haruhi. So all in all, it was a pretty calm day.

I sighed though, the moment the hosting was over. I had brought a spare set of casual clothes with me today, since I didn't want to walk around in my uniform when I went to the gym. Although, technically, I brought two pairs of clothes; one casual and one for the gym.

Anyway, I stripped out of my cosplay in the changing room and managed to pull on my skinny jeans just before Mori accidentally walked in. Now, I was wearing bandages over my chest, as usual, but that didn't stop the slight crimson hue that brushed over both our cheeks.

"Sorry. Wrong room."

He turned and walked out, but it didn't take long before I heard a crash. Moving a bit faster, I tugged on my black dress shirt and quickly buttoned it, only to discover that the last three or four buttons were missing. Charging out of the changing room, I shouted across the room.

"Fu-kun! What have I told you about chewing the buttons off my shirts?!"

I mentally apologized to Mori for now, having a bigger issue to deal with at the moment. Spotting him, I saw Fu-kun dive under one of the couches and I dove across the floor, reaching under to try and grab him. _**It's your own fault! You left it on the floor!**_

"How does that make it _my_ fault?! I left it on the floor so I would remember to wash it!" _**It's still not my fault!**_ "It is _so_ your fault!"

I still struggled to reach him-which I should have remembered not to do-when I noticed the Host Club were all watching me with amused looks. I blinked at them, momentarily distracted, when I suddenly felt Fu-kun latch his mouth onto my hand. Yanking my hand out from under the couch, I yelled and tugged him off.

"Ow! You little pest! That hurt!" _**It was instinct! I swear!**_ "Instincts my butt! Apologize!" _**Okay! I'm sorry for biting you!**_ "_And_?" _**And for chewing the buttons off your shirt.**_

I nodded. "Good." Standing up, I brushed off any dirt and turned to the Host Club. "Did you enjoy the show?" I questioned boredly, trying to ignore the fact that my navel was showing due to the missing buttons.

"Quite." Kyoya replied, while Haruhi just smiled and shook her head.

"It certainly was a show." She said.

"But you look really good, Kohaku." Kaoru said, circling around me like a vulture with his brother.

"Yeah. I never expected you to look so…natural."

**"You should come model for us!"**

I cocked my head to the side, not sure if I heard that right.

"What?"

**"Come model for us!"** They repeated, standing in front of me and leaning on each others' shoulders.

"Our mom would love you."

"And we'll even let you keep some of the clothes."

**"So what do you say?"**

I, personally, wasn't sure. I mean, I wouldn't mind meeting their mom, but my friends have tried getting me to be their dress up doll and it didn't exactly end very well. _But I do get to keep some of the clothes…_

"Okay." I said. "I'll model for you guys."

**"Yes!"** They cheered with high-fives while Haruhi came over to me shocked.

"Are you serious? I didn't think you'd say yes to this."

I shrugged. "Why not? Oh, but I have some conditions."

The twins turned to me and nodded. **"Okay. What conditions?"**

"First off," I said, holding up a finger. "no girly clothes."

They frowned, but agreed.

"Second," I held up a second finger. "I get to choose what I will and will not wear. No forcing me to wear something I don't want to wear. Got it?"

They agreed again and I held up a third finger.

"Last, I'll only go if I get to spend the night _and _have free meals."

"What?!" Haruhi shouted. "You actually _want_ to sleep overnight with the twins?!"

"Yeah. A sleepover with the twins sounds like fun." I smiled a bit as Tamaki came over, wailing.

"No! I won't allow it! I won't let my darling son spend the night with you two heathens!"

He grabbed me in a hug that felt more like a strangle hold, and I struggled unsuccessfully.

"Gah! Tamaki-kun! Let me go! I need air!"

The twins pulled me out of his grasp, but trapped me in their arms instead.

**"Too bad, Tono!"**

"He wanted to!"

"So you can't stop us!"

"Then I will go as well, to protect him from your evil!"

**"No! This is **_**our**_** sleepover!"**

I was grabbed by Tamaki once more, but the twins held firm, causing me to be pulled in two directions.

"He's not going!"

**"He is!"**

"He's not!"

**"He is!"**

Getting fed up with the situation, and the tugging on my arms, I suddenly stood firm and yanked their arms towards me. This caused a chain reaction and Tamaki, Hikaru, and Kaoru all ended up in one big pile on the floor. I was still tired, mind you-hosting really wears you out sometimes-but my frustration with the three of them had reached its peak for the day.

"Look." I growled out. "I'm not a toy you three can fight over. Tamaki-kun, I respect you, but that doesn't mean you can control my life. Hikaru, Kaoru. You guys are fun and all, but people can only take so much before they snap. Now, I'm going to spend the night at the twins' this weekend and _you_ Tamaki-kun, are not going to interfere."

The twins high-fived once more, but I wasn't done yet, and turned on them as well.

"And you two, will respect my conditions and will not tease Tamaki-kun about our sleepover. In fact, don't even bring it up around him. Understood?"

**"Yes, sir."** They all mumbled and I nodded.

"Good. Haruhi?"

"Uh, yeah?"

"You want me to walk you home before I head to the gym, or are you going to get a ride from one of these idiots?"

She shook her head. "No. I'll be okay."

"We can take you home, Haru-chan!" Honey called out, latching onto her waist.

"Well then, looks like you're covered." I said, grabbing my bag as Fu-kun climbed up to my shoulder. "Then I'll see you guys tomorrow."

They said their respected goodbyes, and I went to the gym in a slightly better mood. _And as soon as I'm done, I'll head home, shower, eat, and sleep. Sound good to you, Fu-kun? __**As long as I get a banana!**_ I gave a small smile. _Of course, of course._

* * *

I got out of bed the next morning a little reluctantly. Not only had I lost track of time while at the gym, but I had been challenged by Coach's nephew, Misao, yet again and ended up exhausted by the time I came home that night. _The guy might have a crush on me too. Just what I needed._

I felt disgusted by the time I did wake up though. The shower had been skipped, as did everything else aside from Fu-kun's banana, and I was still in my gym clothes; having literally collapsed on my futon. I also discovered that I was more exhausted than I first thought, which I discovered when I tried to stand.

My legs quivered underneath me, but held so I took that time to get in the shower and unwind. _My God…I never knew a shower could feel so nice._ The tenseness in my muscles evaporated under the steam of hot water and, once I had gotten out and dressed, I ate a hearty breakfast and left for school. I was walking leisurely, when Fu-kun pointed something out. _**Uh, shouldn't you be moving a bit faster?**__ Why? I checked the time when I got up and it was fine. __**Yeah, but your shower took an hour. **__What?!_ I pulled out my cell phone and groaned at the time it displayed. I had fifteen minutes to get to class and the school was a thirty minute walk away.

"This isn't good."

With that, I took off in a run down the sidewalk, ignoring the protest of my overworked muscles. I was nearly there and had just stepped off into the road, when I was suddenly pulled back into a strong chest as a honking car flew past in front of me.

"Looks like you haven't learned your lesson yet." A familiar voice said. "Didn't anyone ever tell you to look both ways before crossing the street?"

My eyes met Shindo's laughing face and I frowned.

"I'm going to be late."

He laughed and pulled me along with him. "Now, now, Ko-chan. You're better off being late than being splattered on a windshield."

"Way to be blunt." I said with a roll of my eyes.

"I try~"

Shaking my head, I took off running again, turning my head around and waving.

"I'll be careful, Shindo-kun. See you later!"

"You better!" He shouted back. "Glasses would kill me!"

I smiled a bit, ignoring as my legs screaming in exhaustion once more, and hurried through the doors to Ouran. A few hallways later, one could find me skidding to a halt in front of my classroom door, opening it breathlessly.

"A-Am I late?"

I didn't see the teacher and thought I was home free, but he soon made his presence known by hitting me on the head from behind with his lecture book.

"You are." Now please take a seat, Nishimura-san."

The class chuckled as my face flushed in embarrassment and I walked to my seat, collapsing with a sigh for finally being off my feet. I was sure to pay attention to the lecture, since this teacher _loved_ to pick on me, but it was all review for me. That didn't mean I wasn't happy though, when classes ended for the day. On the other hand, I wasn't happy about our choice in cosplay today. For one thing, it was outside, which meant more walking, but the big thing was our outfits.

We were cosplaying as some Heian nobility or something and the number of layers we were wearing was stifling. If I wasn't exhausted before, I was now. Climbing three sets of stairs only to climb back down in heavy outfits, was not how I wanted to spend my day.

"Kohaku-kun? Are you okay? You keep rubbing your legs."

I looked at my guest in confusion before looking down, realizing that I _had_ been massaging my aching muscles subconsciously.

"I-I, um, got back from the gym late yesterday and ran to class this morning, s-so my muscles are sore."

Blushes lit up their cheeks and I was a bit lost as to _why_, exactly, they were blushing.

"You work out, Kohaku-kun?"

"Y-Yeah. Everyday, if I get a chance."

"Do you have abs, Kohaku-kun?!"

"Can I feel your muscles?!"

"I'll massage your legs for you!"

I was forced to lean away from my guests, afraid of what was going on. _What just happened?! I only told them I work out!__** You're a girl, aren't you? Figure it out.**_ As the girls reached out to…help me, I pushed myself back a bit.

"N-No! It's okay! You girls don't h-have to do that. I just want t-to have a quiet afternoon with you ladies."

"Aw, you're so nice, Kohaku-kun."

I mentally sighed in relief as they sat back, but it was short lived since the twins decided to bother me.

"Don't be fooled by his good looks, ladies."

"Kohaku's actually a big time womanizer."

Hikaru and Kaoru popped up on both sides of me and my cheeks flushed slightly in embarrassment at what they had said.

"A-Am not! You guys are just jealous that I have more guests than you today."

"Oh! You hear that Kaoru?"

"Sure do, Hikaru. It sounds like we've got us…"

**"**…**a grade A womanizer!~"**

"I am not a womanizer! I'll prove it! Kyoya-kun!" I turned to where Kyoya was and pointed at the twins behind me. "Tell them it's not true! I'm not a womanizer!"

He adjusted his glasses and looked in his notebook. "Your number of clients has increased 10% this past month."

**"Told you~"** The twins said, pulling down their eyelids and sticking out their tongues to mock me.

"That doesn't mean I'm a womanizer! If anything, Tamaki-kun's the womanizer!" I gestured to said host as he entertained his guests.

"Please don't, Tamaki-sama…If you come any closer the ladies who love you will hold a grudge against me."

"Princess, the cherry blossoms will hide us from view. For now, I am yours only. No one but the friendly spirits of spring will see us."

"See! It's him who's-" I turned back towards the twins, but they were ignoring me and playing some game with both our guests.

"I lost again?"

"I'm sorry, Kaoru-kun. You have to play the penalty game now." A guest said with a giggle.

"Princess, please be kind to him. He may not look it, but Kaoru is a cry baby."

"Hikaru! That's not true! I don't cry…"

Hikaru reached over and grabbed Kaoru, pulling him close. "Do you remember what happens to you, Kaoru, when you play the penalty game alone with me?"

"But Hikaru, that's…"

The girls squealed with bright red faces, and I put my head down in defeat. The twins had played me big time and had stolen all my guests while I was trying to prove my innocence. _Well played guys. Well played._ I shook my head with a chuckle and wandered over to where Haruhi was standing, a peaceful look on her face. Coming up behind her, I wrapped my arms around her shoulders with a small grin.

"You thinking about dinner? I think a hot bowl of steaming udon sounds good."

Haruhi rolled her eyes with a smile. "You _always_ want to have udon for dinner…and I wasn't thinking about that. I was thinking about how peaceful it is once you get used to something. You too, Kohaku. You seem to be much more relaxed around the hosts now."

I smiled a bit. "Really? I thought something was different. I'm still a bit nervous around the guests though, and-Hey! You distracted me from dinner! I want udon!"

She chuckled a bit and I pouted.

"We _never_ have udon for dinner. Can't we have it? Just this one time?"

"I suppose we could, just this once though." She gave in.

"Yes!" I cheered, letting go of her just as Tamaki ran over and tackled her to the ground.

"Haruhi! Watch out!"

As she was brought to the ground by him, I was knocked down by a ball hitting me on the back of the head. Lying there in a daze, I watched the cherry blossoms blow in the breeze as Tamaki yelled at the twins.

"Hikaru! You idiot! You almost extinguished the fire that was Haruhi's life!"

I sat up, holding my aching head. "Yeah. You extinguished mine instead." I muttered.

They, of course, ignored me.

"Tono, it's your fault for not catching it."

"It's disgraceful that the Hikaru Genji of Ouran can't play ball properly."

"Come again? Then stop this…" Tamaki growled, leaving Haruhi crumbled on the floor and kicking the ball as hard as he could. "…my Starlight Kick!"

**"What?!"** The twins exclaimed, only for the ball to fly right over their heads and go crashing into a window on the second story.

"Oops." Tamaki mumbled as Kyoya came up behind him surrounded by a dark, menacing aura.

"You are most _certainly_ paying for the cost of that window as well as the money we're about to lose. I hope you're aware of that, _Daddy_."

I nearly chuckled at Kyoya calling Tamaki 'daddy', having not heard him say that in a while, but I walked over and kept a straight face as I stood next to the Shadow King.

"Do you want me to dismiss the guests, Kyoya-kun?"

"If you would. And do make sure to apologize for Tamaki's idiocy."

Tamaki flinched and the dark cloud above his head grew even thicker, but I felt no remorse. After all, the ball hit me first and he didn't seem to care or pull me out of the way. Once I sent the guests on their way with apologies, I gathered with the others as we made out way to where the Newspaper Club was situated.

"Aw man. More stairs." I moaned, hearing a chuckle from next to me.

Turns out, Mori was walking beside me, without Honey, oddly enough.

"Don't laugh at me." I frowned, poking him in the side. "I have muscle soreness."

He didn't laugh, but still had a small grin on his face. "Ah."

I wasn't convinced that he wasn't still laughing mentally, but I got over it. I was a bit distracted by him though, and as my mind wandered, I began to notice things about him that I hadn't paid attention to before.

He was taller than me by a good half a foot and built like a tank, without taking away from his looks. I found myself silently wishing that we weren't still wearing our outfits, so that I could see the way his muscles moved beneath his skin, but my face flushed at that thought and I silently scolded myself. _What am I doing? This isn't like me._ I shook my head out of my thoughts, but looked back up to find his onyx eyes staring down at me in interest.

"Um…" _He saw! He saw me staring at him! Quick, brain! Come up with a new topic!_ "How's kendo?"

_**Smooth. Real smooth.**__ Gah! Shut up! It was the only thing I could think of!_ Mori smiled softly, knowing exactly what I had been doing and that I was trying to avoid talking about it.

"Good."

I nodded, looking straight again. "That's good."

"Ah."

There was an awkward pause and I was hoping the conversation was over, but Mori still had more to say.

"Sorry."

"Huh?" I glanced back at him in confusion.

"About walking in on you the other day."

I gave him a reassuring smile. "It's okay. It's not the first time someone's walked in while I was changing. My dad did it once. It was hilarious."

My smile softened a bit, thinking about my father, and Mori ruffled my hair comfortingly.

"…Do you…still want to learn?"

"Learn?"

"Kendo. I can teach you before the club."

"Oh! Really?" I said excitedly.

"Ah."

"Cool!" I shouted, earning a chuckle from Mori and odd glances from the others ahead of us. "W-What? A person can't be happy?"

They turned away with rolling eyes, and Mori ruffled my hair once more as we walked into a room full of stacks and stacks of newspapers. Sitting at a desk in front of the-now broken-window, was the head of the Newspaper Club; whose name I had never bothered to remember. _Something -zawa._ Mentally shrugging and taking a seat on a stack of newspapers, I watched as Tamaki bowed in apology.

"I'm sorry! Please accept my humble apology!"

Kyoya had walked over beside me and I tugged his kimono sleeve to get his attention.

"Hey, what's the Newspaper Club's president's name?"

He glanced at me before looking back at his notebook. "His name is Akira Komatsuzawa, a third year, class 3-C. The two beside him are both second years; Tomochika Sakyou, 2-C, and Chikage Ukyuo, 2-B. All three have family in the publishing industry."

I noticed, as he said that, that he wasn't actually _reading_ from his notebook and I was curious.

"You knew what room the ball flew into and looked up who would be in it before we got here, didn't you?"

He smirked and closed his book. "You should use that intellect of yours more often, Kohaku-kun. It's nice to know I'm not the only one with more than just a bit of intelligence."

"But isn't it better to hide it and then surprise people when you use it, rather than just openly showing it? It's better if the enemy doesn't suspect anything, right?" I asked innocently, and his eyes seemed to widen just slightly.

"Hm, I suppose that is one way to view things. I'll…have to get back to you on that one…How's your head?"

_I didn't know he saw that. __**He's more observant than you think.**_ I touched a tender spot on my head with a wince. "It's okay. Just a small bump if anything. Don't know what that guy needs an ice pack for. The wimp."

Kyoya had a smirk as Komatsuzawa-I think I'll just call him Akira-tried to take advantage of the situation he'd been put in. _I wonder when Tamaki will realize he's being played. The guy's obviously been watching us, or else he wouldn't have been hit on the front left side of his forehead._

"We were hoping that the Host Club would allow us an interview."

"I didn't know there was a Newspaper Club." Haruhi said.

Getting up, I pat her on the shoulder. "That's okay, Haruhi. They're not very popular.

I could feel them glaring at me, but I ignored them as the twins held up one of their papers and degraded them more.

**"They produce this-The so-called 'Ou Spot'."**

"It's a tabloid that exaggerates love affairs between students, class relations due to family rivalries and so on."

"Their foundations have gotten so wild that no one reads it anymore."

Noticing our unwillingness to get involved in their situation, Akira decided to play the pity card.

"Sure…In our quest for readership, we lost sight of the truth. But with the imminent closure of our club, our eyes were opened." Him and his lackeys bowed deeply. "Please lend us your aid! For the spring special, we'd like to reveal the truths about your charm in 'In the Footsteps of the Host Club 24-7'!"

"Really?"

All eyes went to Tamaki and his excited demeanor. _Here we go._

"You mean it? You want to capture how I corner violent criminals and reveal my daily efforts in stopping criminal activities?"

I smacked myself in the face. _What does he think their talking about? 'FBI's Most Wanted'? __**Are you sure he's as smart as you think he is? **_I mentally sighed. _I'm beginning to have my doubts._

"We accept your reques-"

"No we don't." Kyoya responded, cutting Tamaki off and pushing him back.

"Kyoya! You don't know how touching that show is! Besides, it was my fault he got hurt."

Ignoring Tamaki's plea, Kyoya went on. "I'm sorry, but our information is restricted to customers only."

The twins even stepped forward.

"Don't worry, you won't incur any medical costs."

"Think about it. There's no merit in helping the biggest scandal rag around."

**"We're not here to cause trouble for others."**

Sensing that he might have a chance if he got Tamaki on board, Akira played up his injury.

"Oh…ugh."

"President!"

He fell to his knees in despair. "We can't erase our past mistakes after all…I regret that we mush shut down our club…"

_Or they could just try harder. _I thought. _They're just looking for an easy way out. Not to mention a way to destroy Tamaki's reputation._

"No! That's not true!"

"Tamaki-kun, is this really the only way for them to save their club?" I questioned, but today seemed to be 'Ignore Kohaku Day' or something.

"People always get a second chance! All right, leave it to me! The Host Club will go all out and help rebuild the Newspaper Club!"

**"No way!"**

"What?!" Tamaki shouted.

I sighed and took a step forward, placing a hand on Tamaki's shoulder to get his attention. "Tamaki-kun, please understa-"

"If we went along with all of your enthusiastic endeavors, there'd be no end to it!" Hikaru cut me off, hands raised in a nonchalant manner.

"It's tiresome. Let's go." Kaoru said right after.

"Come on Tamaki. We'll have a meeting in the club room."

Kyoya and the twins headed towards the door with the others, but Tamaki continued to push the issue.

"You guys! Don't you have a heart? They're shutting down! Their family is breaking up!"

My heart clenched when he mentioned family, and I couldn't help but get a bit upset. Tamaki was really going all out to help these guys keep their club, their _family_, but they were only in it to dig up dirt on him.

"This is a presidential mandate! You can't refuse!" Tamaki shouted in a vain, last ditch effort.

**"We refuse."**

The twins denied Tamaki's order bluntly, as Kyoya sighed, and walked out the door with me following behind. As we headed back to the music room, I decided to stay between the two groups; Kyoya, Haruhi, and the twins in front and Mori, Honey, and Tamaki trailing behind. _This is one of those times where I wish I could change things, but I can't. At least Tamaki isn't directly effected in this one.__** Are you sure? You said before that he's hard to figure out. Who's to say he's **_**not**_** effected?**_ I frowned and glanced over at Tamaki once we had entered the music room. Immediately, he moped over to the window, rolling a ball back and forth on the ground.

My frown lightened up and I pulled a hand through my hair as I went to the changing room, and began stripping out of the stuffy cosplay. _Maybe I should talk to him. Try and see if he really _is_ hurt by this and if he even knows what's going on._ I left the changing room and stood over with the others as we watched Tamaki mope.

"He's clearly upset with us."

"It's just like the way kids give each other the silent treatment." Kyoya said.

"It's because Tama-chan hates to be alone."

Even from where we were at, we could still hear Tamaki muttering to himself about how 'heartless' we were. I sighed, unable to stand it any longer.

"I'm sorry, but I'm taking Tamaki's side on this one."

**"What?! Why?!"**

"For one thing, there's no harm in doing this. Tamaki-kun will be happy and it will give us all something to do. But also because…" Here, I smiled. "…I like to be on the winning side."

**"What?!"**

The twins couldn't believe what I was saying, but I knew that Tamaki was going to pull out his ultimate weapon, and I didn't want to be subject to the humiliation of giving in to the puppy dog eyes. _**But didn't that already happen with Shindo?**__…Yes, but that's exactly why I don't want it to happen again._ Taking my seat on the window sill next to Tamaki, I glanced out at the cherry blossoms.

"I'm not doing this for them, you know." I didn't shift my gaze from the window. "The Host Club is the only family I have, and I don't want it to be ruined by some jealous, greedy idiot."

Watching him from the reflection in the window, I saw him smile just a tad.

"It won't be ruined as long as I have you and the others to protect it. But if there's a family on the verge of breaking up, shouldn't we do something about it?"

My lips slowly curved upward. "Yeah. You're right…So how are you going to convince them?"

He didn't say anything, but stopped playing with the ball and turned towards the hosts.

All conversation from them ceased, and I couldn't help but look away from the window to watch. Tamaki turned back to his ball, and looked back up at the hosts. _**Oh, he's good.**_ I smirked as Kyoya gave me a look, before pushing up his glasses with a sigh.

"We'll do it under certain conditions. We will provide a plan for the special feature and the interview is forbidden. Customers must not be bothered, so the service scene is out. Got it everyone?"

**"If Kyoya-kun says so."**

Tamaki straightened up and let out a resounding, "Woof!"

He then began making plans with the twins, while I grabbed a cup of tea and returning to my post by the window, watching the cherry blossoms fall to the ground.

"Do you like cherry blossoms?"

I nearly jumped at the sound of Mori's deep voice, but hid it well…or so I thought.

"Sorry I scared you."

I shook my head and set my cup down on the saucer I held in my other hand. "You didn't scare me, Takashi-kun. You just…surprised me, is all."

I glanced at him to catch him smiling.

"Ah."

He didn't believe me.

I flushed a bit in embarrassment. "I-I don't get scared."

"Everyone gets scared sometimes." He replied with a ruffle of my hair.

"Well, I don't." I said with a grin, looking out the window once more. "Oh! You asked if I like cherry blossoms, right?"

I gave him a glance and he nodded.

"Hm, well, I'm not really sure. This is only the second time I've seen them, but I guess I like them. They smell good and they're nice to look at, but I never really…" I scratched my head. "I don't know how to explain."

"It's okay. I understand."

I looked at him as he pulled over a chair and sat next to me. "You do?"

"Ah. You see things as they are. Not what others see them as."

Blinking at him a few times, I smiled and tapped a finger to my temple. "You're pretty smart for such a quiet person."

I swear I saw a hint of red dust his cheeks, but it disappeared so fast I must've imagined it. When I was about to question it, Haruhi called out from across the room.

"Kohaku! Let's go! If I stay here any longer, I might just strangle one of these idiots!"

I chuckled and set my cup of tea on a nearby table. "Looks like I better go. See you tomorrow, Takashi-kun."

He waved back at me and I headed back home with Haruhi.

"So…about that udon…"

* * *

"The daruma doll…fell!"

I stopped moving, posing on my knees like I was begging Haruhi, who was giving me odd looks.

"Thedarumadollfell!"

This time, I stood on one foot with my hands in the air like a martial arts move I saw before. _The Crane!_ I mentally shouted.

"Hikaru! Kaoru! You moved a little just now!"

**"Uh-uh! We did not!"**

Tamaki turned his attention to Kyoya then, as I struggled to keep from falling over.

"Kyoya! You should move at least one step!"

"Just hurry up and keep going!" I shouted. "I can't hold this pose forever!"

"Then why did you pick such a difficult pose?" I heard Kyoya question from behind me and it took all my willpower not to look at him.

"The game's more fun this way, you stingy, glasses-wearing, jerk! You should at least _try_ to play!"

"Why? There's nothing I can gain by actually _trying_."

"Friendliness!" Tamaki shouted out and I thought he was answering Kyoya's question, but he was only talking to the Newspaper Club. "Friendliness is crucial for wiping away the Newspaper Club's negative image and gaining back the readers! According to our calculations, it will work!"

I groaned, limbs aching from holding my position for so long. "Tamaki-kun! Stop monologue and let me move already!"

I swear I saw him smirk.

"'Handsome Men of Host Club Play a Common Folk Game'! An outdoor game will let you capture the image of spring in the background. It's so elegant-perfect for the front page article! To top it off, it will make common folk happy. It's a dream event!"

Tamaki turned around to look at Haruhi and I gave up, dropping my pose.

"Stop ogling Haruhi and go already!"

He blushed a bit and pointed at me. "I was not ogling her, Ko-kun! Now come and link your pinky with mine! You moved!"

"Of course I moved, you idiot! You took too long!" I walked over and socked him in the head, regrettably linking pinkies with him. "You try holding that pose for that long." I grumbled.

"The daruma doll….fe-"

**"Cut!"** The twins shouted, but instead of breaking our pinkies apart, they separated Haruhi and Akira.

"Come on! That's not where you're supposed to cut!" Tamaki shouted, holding up our linked pinkies. "It's here! Here!" Seeing the others had run off, he released my captive pinky and said, "All right! Let's play color tag next! Gold!"

**"Eh? There isn't any gold around here!"**

Seeing a chance for some pay back, I pointed at Tamaki. "Yeah there is! Tamaki-kun's hair!"

All eyes went to Tamaki as he stuttered, touching his hair. "E-Eh?! No! It's not gold! Ko-kun! Why would you say that?!"

"Revenge for making me hold that pose for so long, idiot!" I said, sticking out my tongue.

His mouth dropped open in shock and I laughed as the twins and Honey-who was being held up by Mori-began pulling out Tamaki's hair. Even Fu-kun was over there helping torment him. _Serves you right. _I thought as Akira wandered over to me. I raised a brow at him and he smiled politely. I didn't really want to speak with him, but he'd figure that out soon enough. I can be pretty mean to people I really didn't like, despite what the hosts believe.

"You're Nishimura-san, right? Would you mind if I asked you a few questions?"

I frowned. "I thought interviews were forbidden."

His smile twitched a bit, but he didn't falter. "Yes, well, we just wanted a bit more information about what this club is about, is all. So, how did you get involved in the Host Club?"

"I was asked and joined willingly." I stated boredly.

"You're an honor student and on the scholarship program, is that correct?"

I nodded and he went on.

"So the reason you are a part of this club is just another way of the Suoh family using their power?"

I grit my teeth, but the guy couldn't take the hint.

"If you would, could you please tell me all about Tamaki-san's dark side and I might just be able to get you out from under his family's shadow."

"Look, there is no dark side to Tamaki-kun and I already said I joined this club because I wanted to. If anything, _I'm _the only one with a dark side, because I can get really troublesome when I'm forced to deal with people I dislike. You, for example, are irritating me on a completely different level, and if you aren't careful, I might just leak out to Kyoya-kun that you're breaking the conditions we set for you. So I suggest you back off before things get out of hand for the both of us."

He seemed completely surprised and took a half-step back as I walked off, proud of myself for defending Tamaki even if it may end up ruining my own reputation. _Although, I highly doubt anyone would believe them anyway, what with them already having a fairly unpopular paper full of gossip._

"Let's play something else!" Tamaki shouted over the group who were still tugging on his hair.

**"Like what, Tono?"**

"Hide and Seek!"

"Oh! Oh! Can I be it, Tama-chan? And whoever loses can help me try out a new trick I came up with in karate class!" Honey said, bouncing up and down in excitement.

_That can't be good._ I thought and as soon as Honey began counting, everyone ran off. The twins and Mori went in one direction while Tamaki went to grab Haruhi; pulling her the other way. I started to run as well, but looked back to find Kyoya just standing there. I _really_ didn't want to, but I sighed and went back. Grabbing his arm, I pulled him along.

"What are you doing?" He questioned, obviously not pleased about what I was doing.

"Saving you from having to test out Honey-kun's new move. You obviously weren't going to save yourself."

He sighed as we ran into the hedge maze. "I don't need you to…_save_ me. I have other business to take care of."

I rolled my eyes, mentally keeping track of how many turns we took. "I know, but we still have time before we confront what's-his-face. As long as someone else gets found by Honey-kun first, then you can go stand around."

He rolled his eyes as I stopped suddenly, listening. "What are you-"

"Sh!" I silenced him, just as a loud childish voice called out from nearby.

"Takashi! Tama-chan!"

_He's close!_ Looking for someplace to hide, I found a small opening in one of the bushes and shoved Kyoya in, much to his displeasure. I stood there as Honey's voice grew closer, willing to be the first found, but my arm was grabbed from behind and I was pulled into the bush, landing on top of Kyoya's chest.

"H-Hey!"

His hand covered my mouth and my face heated up a bit as I, once again, remembered my dream from a few days ago. All thoughts ceased though, as Honey's voice came from my immediate right.

"Ko-kun! Haru-chan! Where is everyone?"

As I heard him walk away, I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding, before remembering the awkward position I was in. Kyoya's hand dropped from my mouth as he sighed and we looked at each other, our noses brushing at our close proximity to one another. My face lit up bright red and I scrambled back, only to stop and wince as a particularly sharp branch scratched my cheek. _There really is no room in here._ Taking a deep breath to try and calm down, I began to think and looked at the branches to find where we had came in so the two of us could get out of our leafy prison.

I could sense him watching me, but did my best to ignore it as I used my hand to push at the entrance of our little hideout. I clambered out, not very elegantly mind you, and watched Kyoya climb out and dust himself off. _I feel bad for getting him into this. I doubt he wanted to go hiding in a bush._ Getting up and brushing my pants off, I nervously faced Kyoya, keeping my mind off what position we had just been in.

"S-Sorry about that. I didn't mean to shove you in a bush or anything. I just panicked when I heard Honey-kun. Sorry for falling on you too…"

I scratched my cheek a bit as I felt heat rush to my cheeks, but pulled back when I scratched my cut. He sighed, pulling his glasses off and cleaning the lenses on his shirt.

"Yes, well, I highly doubt you were planning this whole thing."

"Y-Yeah. Sorry."

He replaced his glasses and reached into his pocket, pulling out a handkerchief to hand me.

"You're bleeding." He said, bluntly and I took the cloth and pressed it against my cheek, pulling it back to find a small line of blood on it.

"L-Looks like that branch got me better than I thought." I nervously chuckled, trying to get rid of the awkward atmosphere around us. Thankfully, Honey managed to save me from further embarrassment.

"Ah! Ko-kun! Kyoya-kun! I found you!"

Luckily, he was saying that from atop Mori's shoulder with Fu-kun, which meant that Mori was probably going to be his test dummy for his newest stunt. Tucking Kyoya's dirty handkerchief in my pocket, with a mental note to wash it later, I waved at Honey and Mori as they approached.

"Looks like you found us. Have you found the others yet?"

Honey nodded his head as he climbed down from Mori's shoulders; Fu-kun following and climbing up to mine.

"Yup! I found Takashi first, then Hika-kun and Kao-kun. But they went ahead."

I noticed Honey's mistake-no one having told me about going to confront Akira- and made a mental note of it. _Didn't expect him to realize that I already knew what was going on, but I suppose that just proves that there's more under that childish persona than everyone thinks there is. __**He actually found blondie and Haruhi first, but skipped them on purpose. He's an interesting kid.**__ That he is. _I gave Honey a look from behind. _That he is._

* * *

**(Nobody's POV)**

Kyoya frowned to himself as he walked with Honey, Mori, and Kohaku back to the Newspaper Club's room. Staring at the back of Kohaku's head, his scowl grew worse as he thought back to what had happened.

He had just planned on waiting for the others when Honey was counting for Hide and Seek. He could care less about the punishment since he knew Honey wouldn't make him do it even if he did lose. He just didn't expect Kohaku to double back and drag him along.

He asked Kohaku what he was doing, not out of curiosity. No. Simply out of annoyance. _These games are going to his head. _He had thought at the time. _I've seen peaks of his intelligence, surely he must know there are other things I must attend to._ When he mentioned having things to do, Kohaku acted unexpectedly.

"_I know, but we still have time before we confront what's-his-face. As long as someone else gets found by Honey-kun first, then you can go stand around."_

He had managed to, not only discover what they were planning, but he also found a loophole in the game. _It was such a simple game, yet he managed to find a loophole somewhere that requires hardly any effort yet still allows you to act like you're playing the game without getting the punishment. I may have acted like I didn't care, but that was impressive. The bush, on the other hand, he could've thought a bit harder about._

Kyoya, of course, was angry at Kohaku for that. Even now, he was still paranoid that there might be a leaf in his hair or dirt on his jacket that the twins or Tamaki will discover, and use it as an excuse to annoy him. _Why did he stand there though?_ Kyoya thought, looking back on when Kohaku had just stood outside the bush, as thought _wanting_ to be the first person found.

_It doesn't make any sense. He was the on so stubborn about neither of us getting caught first, yet he just stood there like an idiot. If I hadn't pulled him in-_ Kyoya stopped there. _Why _did_ I pull him in? He would've been caught and then I could've come out anyway._ His eyes widened in realization before narrowing, jaw clenched tight. _That's why he stood there! He was going to sacrifice himself to help me! I don't need his help! Doesn't he know that? __**Oh, I'm sure he knows. He's just as stubborn as you are though, so even if he knew, he'd still help you.**_

Kyoya's dark eyes shifted to stare at the white ferret on Kohaku's shoulders as it yawned and gave him a bored look. Ever since the ferret had supposedly spoke to him the first time, Kyoya had come to the conclusion that the speaking rodent was just his subconscious screwing with him. He wasn't crazy, his mind was just projecting itself onto Fu-kun. Deciding to ignore the ferret, he continued where his thoughts had left off. _None of this explains why I helped him. My body acted on its own. I didn't _want_ to pull him into the bush. There was barely enough room for me. _When Kyoya thought back to this moment, his heart began to pick up speed; images of Kohaku lying on his chest, their noses brushing, the way Kohaku's cheeks turned red.

_What is this? _He brought a hand to his chest and frowned once more, willing the images to go away. _My body is doing things on it's own again. My pulse is out of control and my mind is playing back what happened over and over again…I believe Tamaki mentioned something like this before. He was asking why he was reacting this way around Haruhi and I told him it was infatuation. The idiot took it as fatherly love, but is this…is this what I'm feeling?…Infatuation?_

_No. It's impossible. I can't be…_infatuated_ with Kohaku! He's a man! I'm a man! He may not have a problem with it, but to me, this is wrong! This is all that idiot, Tamaki's fault! If he hadn't asked me before, then I wouldn't have even considered it now. That's why I'm acting this way. Even before, I don't _give_ people my handkerchief! If Kohaku was bleeding, why should I care? It was only a scratch anyway. It's not like-_ A brief flash of Kohaku walking out of the ocean and passing out on the sand passed through his mind, followed by an image of him carrying Kohaku into the building and carefully watching over him until the doctor came. _What is this? I didn't care then. I simply didn't want to lose money if his injury effected the club. That's all._

Another flashback played in his head. One of him pushing Kohaku down and his crying, fearful face. Kyoya's chest panged and he very nearly growled out in frustration and anger. _Why? Why is this happening? I can't be infatuated with him. Father won't approve. I'll be a laughing stock! It's a disgrace! I'm Kyoya Ootori…and I am _not_ in love with Kohaku._

* * *

**(Kohaku's POV)**

Once all of us made it to the room, I couldn't help but be happy for what was about to happen. We had just opened the door after spotting the Newspaper Club enter it and I watched as the twins began.

**"So it's just as we thought."**

"Ha, it was so obvious."

"Tono was the only one who didn't notice. That man's pretty slow when it comes to himself." _Not true._

"You guys." Akira growled.

"Let me tell you this. If you do anything to Tono, you won't get off scot-free."

"Not just the Hitachiin's, but every family of our club will become your enemy."

**"Are you prepared for that?"**

Akira took a half-step forward. "As I thought, you're using your family powers and Suoh-san ordered you to do it!"

"Wrong." Honey said, bringing the attention to us. "Tama-chan would never do that. We love Tama-chan. That's why we won't allow anyone to bully him."

**"Even though he's an idiot."** The twins shrugged.

"So?" Kyoya asked, walking over to a first aid box on the desk and popping out a disk from a secret compartment. _When did he even give that to them?_ "What do you want us to do with this disk that has proof of your plot in these past few days?"

The newspaper trio look scared and I was still pissed at them and took it a step further. Smiling sweetly, I took a step forward and cracked my knuckles threateningly. _I hate it when people screw with my family._

"You know what the best part is, Komatsuzawa-san? Being a commoner, I could personally care less about such things as my reputation. So, if I were to say…protect myself from an angry, jealous Newspaper Club president by knocking him unconscious, I wouldn't really be effected, would I?"

The others looked at me in surprise, having never witnessed me threaten to do something like this to someone so seriously.

"W-We could get you expelled!"

I raised a brow. "Could you? If the Host Club backed me up, you wouldn't really be able to do that without proof. Not to mention that even my guests in the Host Club know that I am not violent. Would the principal really believe your word against theirs? Especially since you're trying to dig up dirt on his only son. I told you earlier, did I not? I can be very troublesome when it comes to those I hate. I might just leak it out to the principal that you were planning on ruining his family's reputation. The disk Kyoya has could work as well. I wonder how you'd react to finding it all over the internet."

Akira couldn't seem to find a response to that and I took a few steps forward, causing him to back up into his desk fearfully.

"A word of advice, Komatsuzawa-san." I said, face deadly serious. "Don't mess with my family unless you want me to hunt you down and destroy you with every fiber of my being."

He nodded shakily and I walked out of the room, muttering a small "Problem solved." as I passed the others. They followed me out and the twins began muttering behind my back fearfully.

"That was scary."

"Worse than him yelling on the phone."

"That's not true." Mori said, surprisingly.

"Takashi's right! Ko-kun was just protecting us! He really likes Tama-chan and the Host Club! Neh, Ko-kun?"

Honey jumped on me from behind, his arms around my neck while Fu-kun dove down my shirt. It's kind of hard to stay mad when you have a cheerful Honey attached to your neck, so I lightened my mood up a bit.

"That's right, Honey-kun. You guys are my family and I won't let anything ruin that."

He chuckled as I walked towards where Tamaki and Haruhi were hiding. Honey jumped off my back and hurried over with the rest of us to where Tamaki and Haruhi had their heads on the table in the gazebo.

"Ah! Tama-chan! Haru-chan! I found you!"

The two of them quickly brought their heads up and let out a couple of barks, probably happy for being found after having lost themselves in the maze. _It's a good thing I know this maze like the back of my hand, or else it probably would've taken a while to find them. Coming here to relax every week has definitely paid off._

**"Oh? What are you doing with Haruhi, Tono?"**

Tamaki blushed a bit. "S-Shut up!"

The twins grinned. **"Suspicious~"**

Deciding to ignore them for now, Tamaki looked around. "Where are the guys from the Newspaper Club?" He asked.

**"They cancelled the article due to some emergency."**

"What?!"

"It's okay, Tamaki-kun." I replied with a smile. "They said they'll work harder to write better articles and probably won't end up having their club shut down."

"Oh. Really?"

I nodded. "Yup. Everything was taken care of and they won't bother us again."

The others tensed at what I said, but Tamaki played along with it.

"That's good!"

"Let's go get some cake!" Honey said. "To celebrate!"

"Did you say cake?" I questioned, a spot of drool on the corner of my mouth.

"Yay! Cake! Cake!" Tamaki cheered, walking beside me with a skip in his step, but I heard him whisper something after; too low for anyone but me to hear.

"_Thank you."_

He then called out to Haruhi who had lagged behind. "Haruhi! We're going to ditch you if you don't hurry up. You're going to get lost again."

She stared at him for a moment before her face dropped into a deadpan expression. "Eh?"

I smiled and wrapped my arm around her shoulder. "Come on, Haru-chan. You can worry about Tamaki-kun later. People are going to start assuming things if you keep zoning out like that."

She snapped out of it and punched me in the arm as I laughed, ending a perfect day with a great group of friends. All I had to worry about now, was my sleepover with the twins. _Looks like I have a lot to look forward to._


	13. Chapter 11

**Okay. I personally think this is a bit dull int he beginning since there was a _ton_ of dialogue that I kept trying to skip around, but I totally made up for it in the end :) I hope you wonderful reviewers don't hate me for where i left it off, but hey, if you bug me enough, I might update just that much faster.**

_**To my wonderful Watson, who I am sure is reading this: **_**I hope you understand why i d****idn't tell you what I was going to do now ;)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything Ouran. Just my characters and some of the plot. I also don't own the two songs below.**

* * *

"Just The Way You Are"By Bruno Mars

_"I know, I know_  
_ When I compliment her she won't believe me_  
_ And it's so, it's so_  
_ Sad to think that she don't see what I see_  
_ But every time she asks me "Do I look okay? "_  
_ I say_  
_ When I see your face (face face...)_  
_ There's not a thing that I would change_  
_ 'Cause you're amazing (amazing)_  
_ Just the way you are"_

* * *

"True Love"  
By P!nk

_"Sometimes I hate every single stupid word you say  
Sometimes I wanna slap you in your whole face  
There's no one quite like you  
You push all my buttons down  
I know life would suck without you  
At the same time, I wanna hug you  
I wanna wrap my hands around your neck  
You're an asshole but I love you_"

* * *

I didn't know whether to be excited or nervous. Today was the day the twins were going to pick me up for our sleepover/modeling session. Fu-kun wasn't going, unfortunately, but Haruhi was willing to keep an eye on him for me. _You better behave, Fu-kun.__** What am I? A child? **_I thought about it, tapping my chin as Fu-kun sat on my shoulder, waiting. Finally I nodded. _Yes._

Fu-kun skittered down my shirt and began running his nose around my stomach, forcing me to fall back onto the floor in a fit of laughter.

"S-Stop! Your n-nose is cold! I-I-It tickles!" I flailed.

He popped his head out of my shirt with a ferret like smirk. _**Am I still a child?**_ I glanced down at him and I couldn't help it.

"Yes."

Needless to say, I was very near tickled to death until the doorbell rang.

"Fu-kun! S-Stop! I-I need to get the d-door!"

_**Then go get it!**_ I struggled to get up, still being tickled, and tripped over my own feet. A loud crash rang out as I had hit the end table, thus knocking over a lamp, but Fu-kun finally stopped tickling me and I pulled him out of my shirt before running to answer the door.

"Y-Yeah?""

The twins stood there, giving em odd looks and trying to peek around me.

"Did you break something?"

"Yeah. We heard a crash."

I chuckled nervously. "Just a lamp. I'm okay."

"**Right…"** They said, strolling into my apartment.

It was a bit messy, but not as bad as it would've been if I had a manuscript due. _Most _of the papers were off the floor and there weren't any soda bottles lying around, but it still gave you that feeling of being lived in.

Cleaning up the broken shards of the lamp and hurrying to my bedroom while the twins went through my things, I grabbed my overnight bag and scooped up Fu-kun. I double checked my mental checklist and nodded to myself once I was done.

"Okay. I think I have everything. Just let me drop off Fu-kun with Haruhi and then we can go."

"**Sure thing!"**

They headed out the door and I locked it behind us, while they went down to their limo and I made my way next door. I knocked and it took a moment before a ragged, makeup-less Ranka opened the door.

"Oh, um, sorry for waking you up, Ranka-chan." I said quietly. "Is Haruhi home?"

He sighed, pulling a hand through his hair. "Sorry, Ko-chan. Haruhi went to the market really quick. Is it anything I can help you with?"

This wasn't the first time I'd run into Ranka in this shape, so neither of us minded his haphazard demeanor.

"Actually, I came to drop Fu-kun off. Haruhi offered to watch him while I stay with the twins this weekend."

He smiled and held out his hands. "Well, I'll take him! I'm sure we'll get along just fine until Haruhi gets back…I'm guessing the twins know then?"

I knew what he was talking about and nodded, Fu-kun running across my arm and over to Ranka's. "I told them a month or so ago. I forgot to tell you, sorry."

He waved his hand. "It's fine! It's fine! It's your decision on who to tell, but does that mean I can call you 'chan' now?"

I chuckled. "Sorry, Ranka-chan. Not yet. Kyoya-kun still doesn't know."

"Really? You'd think that blonde idiot would be the last to find out."

"Ranka-chan, he's smarter than you think." I chided him playfully.

He rolled his eyes. "Yes, well, I'm not going to give Haruhi over to him that easily."

Just then, the twins shouted from down below.

"**Kohaku! Let's go!"**

I waved down at them and turned back to Ranka. "I better go now, Fu-kun. You behave."

_**I'll try.**_ I started to walk away, but Ranka stopped me by turning me around and pulling me into a hug.

"Be safe."

I pulled away with a smile. "I will. Thanks…Ranka."

I headed down the stairs and gave Ranka one last wave before climbing in the limo with the twins.

"It's about time." Hikaru grumbled as we pulled away from the curb.

"What were you and Ranka-chan talking about?"

"A few things, actually. Since Haruhi went shopping, he took Fu-kun and he was just wondering if you two knew I was a girl."

They nodded, and Kaoru spoke up.

"So who _doesn't_ know? Besides Kyoya."

Hikaru scoffed. "Probably Tono. He had to walk in on Haruhi changing to figure out she was a girl."

I smiled, placing my chin on my hand. "You'd think so, right? But Tamaki-kun figured it out way before I even told you two."

"**No way!"**

"Yup. He told me during the beach trip. Honey-kun and Takashi-kun were the first to figure it out."

They hummed in unison.

"You'd think the Shadow King would've known."

"Yeah. He knew right away with Haruhi."

"But he had her records. I have virtually none." I said with a shrug.

"Okay then…"

"Why do you dress…"

"**Like a guy?"**

I frowned thoughtfully. "It's comfortable? I've been like this since I was young, so I'm not really sure _when_ it actually started or why. I guess I'm so used to it now that anything else bothers me."

"So you made it into a game?" Kaoru asked, and I nodded.

"Yeah. It's kind of like the game you two play. You look for people who can tell you apart and accept you guys as a pair, while I look for someone who can see me as a girl but accept that I act and dress like a guy. Makes sense?"

They looked at me in surprise before grabbing me in a hug. Fake tears streamed down their faces as they nuzzled my face and pet my head.

"That was beautiful!"

"We'll always be here for you, Kohaku!"

I rolled my eyes at their antics with a smile. "Yeah. Thanks guys."

Hikaru suddenly let go though. "Wait a minute. Then what about Shindo-kun?"

"That's right!" Kaoru said, letting go as well. "Is he really your boyfriend?"

I laughed, full on laughed, and shook my head. "No! H-He's gay!"

Their eyes widened in shock and mine did the same when I remembered his confession, heat beginning to rise to my cheeks.

"O-Or is he?…"

Ow they were confused, but before they could ask me about it, the limo doors opened and the chauffer went to take my bag from me.

"Allow me."

Knowing he might consider it rude _not_ to let him carry my things, I hesitantly handed it over. He bowed and walked off as the twins pulled me towards the front doors.

"**We're home!"**

"Mom! Come meet…"

"…our guest!"

There was a shuffling not far off, and Yuzuha Hitachiin poked her head around the corner. Upon catching sight of me, she came out and immediately got very close to my face.

"Um…h-hello." I stuttered out as her eyes roamed over my body scrutinizingly.

"This is Kohaku Nishimura, mom." Kaoru said.

"Or friend from school that we told you about." Hikaru replied while Yuzuha continued to roam around me.

I was getting more and more nervous, and started regretting coming here. I was used to being judged by others, but not this…_intently_. Finally she stood up straight and smiled.

"I'm Yuzuha Hitachiin and you were right, boys. She does have a nice figure. _Very_ natural, not overly muscular but just enough, and her androgynous look is very appealing.

"We told you."

"We even got her to come willingly."

"**Unlike Haruhi."** They shrugged.

Yuzuha nodded, before` taking my hand and pulling me down the hall.

"Well, I have the perfect assortment of cloths for you. Do you boys have her measurements?"

"**Yes ma'am!"** They called out as I was shoved into a changing room.

"Remember mom…"

"…no girl clothes!"

"I got it boys! Here, try this on, Kohaku-san."

A set of clothes were pushed through the curtains an I began changing. My jeans were replaced with designer jeans and my shabby, over-sized t-shirt switched out with a white polo shirt and a black, silk, tuxedo jacket. I walked out of the changing room and fidgeted nervously.

"I-Is this okay?"

"Hm…" Yuzuha hummed, twirling her finger. "Turn around slowly."

I did as she asked and, once I faced her again, the twins hurried over.

"Let's try this." Hikaru said, dropping a midnight colored scarf around my neck to hand off my shoulders.

"And this!" Kaoru put a somewhat low-hanging cross necklace around my neck and the two of them stepped back to join their mother, hands on their chins.

"Ah! Kohaku!" I looked up at Kaoru as he snapped his fingers. "Lean against the wall!"

I did as I was told, pulling up my right leg to rest my heel against the wall as well.

"Good! Now pretend you're tired and pull your hand through your hair!" Hikaru called out.

I sighed, leaning farther into the wall, and pulled my hand through my hair. A flash went off and I looked up at Yuzuha smiling but no camera in sight. _Huh, maybe I imagined it._

"That's perfect!" She handed me another set of clothes and told me to change once more.

This outfit was very different from the last one and had a very American feel to it. I had torn jeans now and a white shirt with the Statue of Liberty printed on the front in a sea green color. Under it, I wore a black under shirt and when I walked out, the twins added earrings, rings, bracelets, and a chain on my pants.

"Put your hands in your pockets!"

"Now look up and to the right!"

I cocked my head to the side, beginning to have fun with this. "My right or yours?"

"**Yours."**

I did, taking interest in the design on the ceiling. _Who paints designs on the ceiling?_ Another flash.

"Good! Now let's move on to formal wear!"

I was handed a tux and was pushed once more into the changing room. Putting on the grey stripped dress shirt, black tie, and the dark green-almost black-jacket I stepped out once more, buttoning the cuffs on my sleeve and putting on a silver Rolex watch.

"Did you bring your glasses with you?" Kaoru asked and I nodded, returning to the changing room to grab my glasses out of my jacket pocket.

"Got 'em." I said as I put them on.

"Cool! Now hold this," Hikaru handed me a notebook and pen. "and act like Kyoya, but smile a little."

As I did that, another flash went off and I pulled my glasses from my face and looked around in frustration.

"Where are those flashes coming from?!"

Yuzuha and the twins busied themselves with another outfit.

"We don't know…"

"…what you're talking about."

"**Now wear this!"**

Grumbling, I went to change once more into a very dark blue kimono top that had a silver wolf stitched into the soft fabric and some matching pair of pants that went just past my knees. _I hope they're almost done. I'm already getting tired._ I went out and this outfit went by a bit faster since there was nothing they wanted to add other than me posing by the window. _There's that flash again!_ Being forced to ignore it as the twins shoved me back into the changing room, I came face to face with the last outfit of the day.

This one was curious. It gave me a more laid back English feel to it and I almost thought they were joking around and trying to dress me up as a professor. I put on the clothes though, which consisted of black slacks, a light blue plaid shirt with a steel blue overcoat, and a magenta colored tie. As I walked out though, I could feel something missing to the outfit. Something that would make it more…fun.

"Something's missing." Hikaru said, a hand on his chin.

"What is it?" Kaoru questioned and even Yuzuha seemed confused as to what it could be.

Looking around, I spotted it. A grey fedora with a light blue stripe was practically _begging _me to wear it. Hurrying over, I snatched it up and plopped it on my head.

"How about this?" I said with a big grin.

I swear I only closed my eyes for a moment but I distinctly saw a flash through my eyelids. Before I could say or do anything, the twins pulled me between them.

"**That's it!"**

I nearly fell over backwards, but they steadied me with laughter echoing around us. There were a few more flashes as the twins and I goofed around and played with the hat, but I didn't really mind. I was having fun, so who cares?

The hat was tossed around between the three of us,, and my overcoat was getting wrinkled as we chased after each other. I felt like I was back with my family, just being silly. That is, until I fell with Hikaru on top of me and my nose just touching Kaoru's.

"Hehe, oops." I chuckled, not really noticing the position we were in. "Sorry Kaoru!"

His face was a bit red, but he let out a small laugh of his own.

"Haha! Hikaru! Get off! I'm being squished!"

Hikaru rolled off me and I got up too, helping Kaoru up as well.

"You okay?" I asked and he nodded.

"Yup! But you two are seriously heavy!"

We all laughed as a maid came over to inform us about dinner being ready. When I went back into the changing room though, I glanced in the mirrors with a small smile on my face. I knew what kind of situation Karou and I had just been in, but I was sincerely happy.

I wasn't super embarrassed and neither was Kaoru, and nothing had really happened. The two of them were like brothers to me and, now that I realize that, so are the others in the club. The smile dropped from my face suddenly._ That can't be right. I mean, Kyoya and I were in that situation before and I was freaking out…Why is it different than what just happened between Kaoru and I?_ I was about to ponder it more as I walked out of the changing room, but a maid surprised me.

"N-Nishimura-sama? I w-was told to escort you to the dining room."

She was around my age it seemed-maybe a bit older-and I gave her a small smile

"Okay. T-Thank you."

Her face flushed and she bowed, looking a bit jittery.

"T-T-This way."

I followed behind her and was a tad confused as to why she kept glancing back at me. _Maybe she wants to tell me something._ Gathering up my courage, I walked a little faster until I was beside her.

"Are you okay?" I asked, leaning over to see her face. "I-Is there something you want to tell me?"

She turned a brilliant shade of red as we entered the dining room and quickly bowed to me.

"I-I'm sorry!" She half-shouted and then turned and ran out the door.

"A-Ah-" I reached out to stop her, but she was already gone.

"Pft!"

"**Ahahahaha!"** The twins began laughing hysterically and I turned to them completely lost. Even Yuzuha and her husband-yeah, I noticed him-were laughing.

"W-What?" I stuttered. "What'd I do?"

The twins wiped tears from their eyes as they began to calm down, but it was Mr. Hitachiin who spoke first.

"It seems our maid has a crush on you, Nishimura-san."

My face flushed and I turned towards the door before looking back at them in complete shock.

"I-I…W-Wha…Huh?"

The twins went back into a fit of laughter and Yuzuha gestured to the table with a small chuckle.

"It's all right. Take a seat. She'll figure it out soon enough."

I nodded slowly and sat down next to Mr. Hitachiin and across from the twins. When the chefs brought out the food, I quickly dug in. What can I say? I'm a commoner and it's not everyday I get to eat a feast like this. And I don't even know what I was eating! I heard chuckled from across the table and frowned as the twins smiled innocently.

"What? It's good." I muttered.

They laughed some more and Yuzuha started up a conversation.

"So Kohaku-san, what do you plan on doing after you graduate? Ever think of modeling?"

I contemplated that for a second. "I did for a little while, but I was actually thinking of becoming a novelist…but…It doesn't make much and…I'm unsure."

I stared down at my plate nervous at how they would take that kind of information. After all, the rich had most of their lives planned out by themselves or other family members. Uncertainty, from what I knew, was completely unheard of if not frowned upon. Yuzuha didn't seem to mind though.

"Well, you're more than welcome to drop by to work for me."

I smiled softly. "Thanks, Yuzuha-san."

She smiled back in return. "You're welcome. I'm sure your parents would be happy with whatever you chose."

"**Mom."** The twins said, nodding in my direction as my face fell.

"O-Oh…I'm sorry."

"It's okay." I said, smiling sadly. "I'm sure they'd be happy."

The table grew quiet as I picked at the food on my plate.

"Do you live alone then?"

I nodded. "Yeah. Next door to Haruhi, actually. It's okay though. She brings me dinner and makes sure I take care of myself. And with the Host Club around, it's like I still have my family."

Yuzuha smiled softly. "You're a very strong woman, Kohaku-san. I'm glad Hikaru and Kaoru are making you feel at home."

I chuckled. "Yeah, well, they remind me of my brother and sister. They used to cause all sorts of mischief."

"You have siblings?"

"…_Had._" I said. "Four younger sisters and a younger brother. It was so crazy, it was like having my own little Host Club at home."

"What were they like, if you don't mind me asking?"

My smiled grew as I remembered my family and all their crazy antics.

"Well, Sarah and Patrick were the two who always caused mischief when together. We used to call them the evil twins. Then melody was…like Tamaki-kun." I said, looking at the twins. "Not too bright, but always excited. Catherine was a bit like Renge-san and loved to go around gossiping and being social. And Jennifer was similar to Honey-kun since she was almost always happy and eating sweets."

"**What about your parents?"** The twins asked, dinner practically forgotten.

"My dad was a bit strict, but loved to have a good laugh. Him and my brother got along really well because they both shared the love of cars and guns."

"**Guns?"** The twins gulped.

I nodded. "Yup. My dad owned a bunch-legally, of course-and would take us out shooting in the desert occasionally. He always used to joke around about my sisters and I getting boyfriends and how he would interrogate them first."

I laughed as the twins grew pale and Mr. Hitachiin spoke up once more.

"What about your mother?"

"Hm…She was really nice. I actually was really close to her and we were like sisters at times. We told each other our problems when she took me to school and just _talked_, really. There were times when she'd get angry or upset, but she still loved us and always tried her hardest to put a smile on our faces."

"It sounds like you really loved your family."

I nodded, rubbing my nose for a second. "Yeah."

The maids took away our plates and such, before Yuzuha stood up from the table.

"Well boys, why don't you take Kohaku-kun upstairs and enjoy yourselves. Your father and I have some work we need to do."

"**Okay!"** they called out and came over to grab my arms and pull me out the doors.

"Come on, Kohaku!"

"We want to show you our room!"

They tugged me up the stairs and down numerous hallways until I was sure I was lost. Not soon enough, we reached their room and I could easily tell that it was built just for the two of them. A huge flat screen TV was set up on the wall facing the bed, hooked up with a bunch of video game systems. The bed was a large king sized bed that the twins, undoubtedly, shared and two doors; one leading to the bathroom and the other leading to a gigantic walk-in closet. And, of course, the place was a bit of a mess.

"Don't you guys clean your room?" I questioned, stepping over a pile of clothes.

"**Says you. You're place was a mess."**

_True._ "Besides, our maids are supposed to do it."

"But they don't seem to like us very much."

"I wonder why." I said, rolling my eyes.

They pushed me onto the bed and grabbed three controllers and, before I knew it, we ended up in a gaming competition with me in last place. The game ended and I sighed, falling back onto the mattress.

"I give up. You two are too good."

"That's not true." Kaoru said, falling back next to me and propping his head up with his elbow.

"Yeah. You just suck at video games." Hikaru finished, falling back as well.

"Hey." I muttered half-heartedly, eyelids drooping.

They chuckled, their arms lying across my stomach, which I didn't mind, surprisingly. Then, Kaoru spoke as my eyes began to close.

"Kohaku?"

"Hm?"

"Are we really your family?"

I rolled onto my side towards him, my head touching his chest as I nodded sleepily.

"You can't replace what I lost…but…I love you guys just as much as I loved my real family."

I tensed when I felt Hikaru brush a hand through my hair, but soon relaxed as it soothed me to sleep.

"The Host Club…is my family now…my only…family…" I muttered, before giving in and sleeping.

* * *

**(No one's POV)**

Hikaru and Kaoru watched silently as Kohaku's breathing evened out and she fell asleep, her head against Kaoru's chest and a hand fisted around his shirt.

"What are you thinking, Hikaru?" Kaoru asked, looking over at Hikaru's thoughtful expression.

"She's a lot like Tono."

Kaoru nodded. "Except she's smart."

"And shy."

"She's gotten better though."

"She's changed." Hikaru agreed, watching as Kohaku shifted in her sleep.

They were both silent for a moment.

"Hey, Kaoru?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think she's okay?"

Kaoru looked down at Kohaku, brushing a strand of white hair away from her face.

"No…I think she's trying, but…"

He trailed off, knowing that Hikaru knew what he was trying to say.

"She's strong. Don't' you think, Kaoru?"

"Yeah…She needs someone though."

"Aren't we enough?" Hikaru questioned and Kaoru shook his head.

"No. She needs someone…_special_."

Hikaru looked up, eyes shining in curiosity. "But who?"

"Tono won't do. He's got his eyes on Haruhi."

"Right. Honey-senpai too. He's more like a little brother."

"What about Shindo-kun?" Kaoru asked, remembering when they questioned Kohaku about him earlier.

Hikaru thought about that for a minute. "nah. There's something between them, but I don't think it's _that_."

"Hm. The only two left are…"

"…Mori-senpai and Kyoya."

They looked at each other, grins slowly forming on their faces.

"They both like her, right?" Hikaru asked.

"I think so, but Kyoya still doesn't know she's a girl."

"Right." Hikaru nodded with a chuckle. "He probably thinks he's gay! Ahaha! I wish I could see how the great Ootori-sama deals with that!"

"Sh! Hikaru!" Kaoru shushed. "You might wake her up."

They both glanced down at Kohaku, but she was still dead asleep.

"What about Mori-senpai?"

Kaoru shook his head. "I don't know. I mean, I _think_ he likes her."

Hikaru nodded. "I know what you mean. He's harder to read than Kyoya."

"He seemed pretty odd though, when we pointed out the wrong changing room the other day."

"Yeah. He came out and tripped over his own feet…Doesn't that mean he likes her?"

Kaoru shrugged, dropping his elbow and fully lying down. "Anyone would act like that if they walked in on someone."

"But not Mori-senpai." Hikaru laid down as well. "the only other time we saw him like that was when her and Honey were washed away at Kyoya's jungle pool."

"I know what we can do." Kaoru announced.

"What?"

"Well, since we don't know if they really like her, why don't we find out?"

"How?"

"With Mori-senpai."

"You don't mean…"

Kaoru nodded and they both smirked.

"This is going to be fun." Hikaru said, the final words spoken before he and his brother curled up around Kohaku; arms around her waist and limbs intermingled. Little did Kohaku know, when she returned to school she would be more popular than ever.

* * *

"Hikaru! Kaoru! What is this?!" Kohaku shouted, having stormed over to the Host Club table in the cafeteria and slammed down a magazine.

"**Oh! Do you like it?"**

"No! I never said you could take pictures and _publish_ them!"

"**But you didn't say we couldn't."** They said with Cheshire grins.

"I-I…but…gah!" Kohaku tugged on her hair, before sitting at the table and dropping her head with a 'thud', glaring up at the twins. "I despise you two." She grumbled.

The twins high-fived while the hosts passed around the magazine, the cover displaying Kohaku in her first outfit posed against the wall.

"Wow! You look good, Ko-kun!" honey shouted, passing it down.

"Ah."

Haruhi chuckled. "You do look nice, Kohaku."

Tamaki then pulled Kohaku into a hug. "My son is so handsome!"

"Get off me!" Kohaku shoved Tamaki off and groaned when she spotted who had the magazine now.

"You are an exceptional model." Kyoya said, setting down the magazine. "It's unexpected since you are-"

"Plain? Boring?" Kohaku cut in, taking the magazine and putting it away in her bag.

Kyoya's lips twitched downwards before he pushed up his glasses and composed himself. "I was going to say 'a commoner'."

Kohaku flushed a bit. "Oh…"

Unknown to her, the twins smirked and began making plans. They were going to _help_ her no matter what and Kohaku wouldn't have a clue.

"**Plan initiated."**

* * *

**(Kohaku's POV)**

I yawned, leaning on my broom and staring lazily across the lawn of Misuzu's pension. The door opened and Haruhi strolled out with a smile as she went to do the laundry.

"Neh, Haruhi."

"Hm?" She hummed, hanging up the sheets.

"Why am I here again?" I questioned and she deadpanned.

"I told you already."

I smiled innocently and tilted my head too the side.

"Remind me?"

She sighed. "My dad had a business trip and didn't want me to be at home alone, so he asked if I could come here and help out."

"Okay, and where do I come in?"

"Well, after finding you buried in your papers and an assortment of junk food-"

I smiled fondly as Fu-kun scampered up to my shoulders. "I remember that. Good times."

"It was two days ago." She sweat dropped.

"And the best day of my life." I said with a wink.

Haruhi shook her head. "Anyway, after finding you like that, I thought it'd be better to have you come with me. That way you wouldn't just lay around all summer."

I sighed, beginning to sweep the porch. "Darn. Foiled my plans again."

Haruhi laughed and I began to chuckle as well, until we heard the distinct sound of a helicopter. The wind picked up, blowing dirt and leaves all over, and I wasn't surprised to see Tamaki hanging out of the helicopter with a speaker.

"Haruhi! Kohaku! Are you okay?!"

Haruhi's face was priceless and I walked over to her and pat her on the shoulder; speaking over the noise of the helicopter.

"Looks like your plans have been foiled as well!"

I laughed, but Haruhi obviously wasn't amused and, as soon as the hosts landed, she immediately told them to leave. They, of course, didn't listen and followed the two of us inside the pension. _That reminds me. I need to tell Misuzu to keep my gender a secret._ Hurrying past everyone, I grinned.

"I'll go get Misuzu-chan then."

Once I found him, I quickly explained my situation and he readily agreed as I brought him to the others. And I must say, he was really excited.

"Wow! What a cute batch of boys! Are you all Haruhi-chan and Kohaku-kun's friends?"

The group seemed a bit confused as Misuzu introduced herself.

"How do you do. I'm Misuzu Sonoda. I'm the owner of this establishment. Call me Misuzu-chan~"

Kyoya stepped forward with a pleasant business smile.

"I hear you're Ranka-san's friend from work?"

"How did you hear that, Kyoya?" Tamaki asked, but was ignored.

I too, ignored the hosts and went ahead and headed back to work with Haruhi. Taking my time, I greeted a few newcomers and showed them to their rooms before heading back to the dining area and refilling a few of the ladies' drinks. Haruhi was pulled away soon enough, the hosts complimenting Misuzu's aprons, and I took a table's order before walking back over to Misuzu.

"Misuzu-chan, the ladies at table four have chosen what they want to eat."

"Oh! I better head back to the kitchen then."

I nodded, handing over their order. "Is there anything else you need me to do?"

He thought about it, then snapped his fingers. "Yes! Could you bring in the spare tables and chairs? And once you set those up, I believe there is some tools in the back shed. Could you use those to fix the sink over here? It seems to be leaking."

I gave him a smile. "Sure thing."

"Oh! Kohaku-kun?"

I turned back around. "Yeah?"

"If you have a problem with anything, just let me know and I'll get one of the boys to help you."

"I'll be fine."

He nodded and while I was bringing out the tables and chairs, I passed by the hosts as Kyoya pointed out the school rules.

"School rule number nineteen: taking a job is not allowed."

Haruhi seemed surprised and gestured to me. "W-What about Kohaku? He's a novelist!"

I looked up from wiping down the table. "Hm? Oh that? The school already knows. Suoh-sama is actually one of my fan and even encourages me to _miss classes_ in order to finish my manuscript."

I shrugged as her mouth dropped open and the other hosts began to tease her.

"Did you hear? She took a job without notifying the school."

"Oh dear, how bold." The twins snickered.

"It's not a bad idea to cool down in Karuizawa once in a while." Honey said with a smile.

Even Kyoya joined in on the fun. "Oversea trips are getting tiresome anyway."

I rolled my eyes and started towards the door, just as Tamaki struck a pose.

"It's true that we're all free to spend the break however we want! That means you don't have the right to stop us either!" He told Haruhi. "This summer, we will stay at this pension as VIP guests!"

Haruhi looked like she had been struck by lightning, and when I opened the door, I realized something.

"Hey guys?" All eyes turned to me. "Just thought I should tell you…there's only one free room left."

Now it was their turn to be dumbstruck.

"What are we going to do?!" Tamaki wailed.

"Go ask Misuzu-chan. I'm sure he'll come up with something."

With that, I walked out to the shed in the back and got the tools I would need to fix the sink. As I was doing so, Misuzu had already explained the rules behind his _refreshing_ idea and sent the hosts to do various chores around the pension. Tamaki and Honey had been sent to fix the fence, Fu-kun joining them, and the twins were greeting new customers and showing them around. Kyoya didn't seem to be doing much, Fu-kun informed me. _**He's just drinking tea.**_ Mori was probably the only useful one, having been told to go fix a wobbly table.

"**Ko-kun!"**

I jumped at the two voices, banging my head on the underside of the sink and simultaneously loosening the pipe, thus drenching me in water. Sputtering, I quickly fixed it and came out from underneath the sink with a heated glare.

"Thanks a lot, you guys."

"**No problem!"** They said with big grins as they pulled me up off the floor.

"Whatever you guys want is going to have to wait until I change." I said, picking at my wet shirt. "I hope you two know that."

"That's okay, Kohaku."

"Yeah. We just wanted you to help us win."

I sighed, picking up my tools and shaking some of the water out of my hair.

"I can't help you guys. And I'm not going to help the others either. I don't really care who gets the room." I shrugged.

"**Not even if it's Mori-senpai?"**

I tried to hide the light flush on my face along with my own personal disappointment.

"He won't get it. If Honey-kun drops out, so will he."

"Then what about…"

"…Kyoya?"

I shook my head, glancing out the window at Kyoya as he sat and sipped tea.

"He won't even try."

I walked away from the twins, who smirked behind my back, and went back outside to put the tools back inside the shed in a slightly depressed mood. _Why am I upset? I already knew Kyoya wouldn't participate and that Mori would drop out if Honey did, but…it hurts for some reason. _I grabbed my shirt over my chest, ignoring the water that was still dripping from it. _Was I expecting them to change? For me?_

I sighed and strolled around outside in an attempt to air dry my shirt, only to sweat drop at Tamaki's poorly made fence. _Might as well help him out. I'll be fixing that fence again anyway._ Stepping up next to Tamaki, I crouched down and pointed at a board he nailed on diagonally.

"You nailed this part wrong."

He stood up and I thought I may have insulted him for a moment. _He did look really determined, after all._

"I'll prove it's refreshing!" He said, before calling out to Misuzu. "Misuzu-chan! The fence is fixed!"

Misuzu frowned. "The result of your work isn't refreshing at all. Minus three points."

Honey went to try and change his mind, but he was more cute than refreshing and quickly left with Fu-kun to go eat some cake. Tamaki was squatted down in a depressed mood, but I had an idea.

"Hey, Tamaki? Do you want me to show you how to fix it?"

He looked up, noticing the dropped suffix, and what I was offering. "Y-You would really do that for me?"

I nodded, pulling off the board he nailed wrong. "Sure. Misuzu-chan might even give you your points back if you do it right and I'll need to fix it up anyway."

He smiled and ruffled may hair. "Thank you, Kohaku."

I enjoyed the brother-like affection, but grew serious and pointed a finger at him.

"Don't thank me until we have this fence fixed, alright?"

He mock saluted. "Yes, sir!"

"Good. Now hold this on _horizontally_…"

It took a bit, but soon Tamaki was able to _properly_ fix the fence and, like an excited puppy, he hurriedly called Misuzu over again.

"I fixed it right this time, Misuzu-chan!"

Misuzu looked it over, before giving me a glance. "Did _you_ do it, or did Kohaku-kun?"

I shook my head with a small smile. "He did it, Misuzu-chan. I just told him what he needed to do."

Misuzu nearly smiled, but managed to hide it well. "I suppose I could give you back your three refreshing points then."

Tamaki cheered and pulled me into a tight hug. "Thanks, Kohaku!"

I chuckled a bit and pat him on the back. "No problem, but could you let me go? I kind of…need to breathe."

He let me go with a large grin. "Sorry."

"It's okay." I said, then noticed Kyoya. "Hey, why don't you go check in with Kyoya-kun? I'm sure he has some ideas on what could make you more refreshing."

"Ah! You're right!" He said, before running over to Kyoya.

I sighed in relief. _Kyoya's probably going to kill me for that later, but at least now I have some time to relax._ Unfortunately, it didn't last that long before Misuzu had me cleaning up after the twins. Once I was done with that, I went ahead and grabbed a crate of water bottles. _The hosts are probably exhausted. I may be used to hard work, but the others…_

Adjusting the crate in my arms, I passed over to where the hosts were gathered and froze. I didn't even register the other hosts taking water bottles from the crate. My eyes were solely focused on Mori who was chopping wood…_shirtless._

"What's wrong, Kohaku?" A voice whispered from my left.

"Can't take your eyes off him?" A similar voice responded from my right.

My face flushed a billion shades of red as I sputtered out some response to the twins.

"I-I…N-No! I was just-"

"It's okay, Kohaku." Kaoru said.

"We won't tell."

I groaned. "I feel an _if_ in that statement."

"_**If**_** you help us win."**

"I already told you! I'm not helping anyone!"

"That's not true."

"Yeah." Hikaru said. "We saw you helping Tamaki earlier."

I sighed. "I only helped him because I'd end up fixing the fence myself later and I felt bad for him. It was only three points anyway."

The twins folded their arms, not pleased with my answer, but a tap on my shoulder drew my attention away from them and toward the firm looking chest in front of me. Face red, I slowly looked up at Mori who smirked. _Actually_ smirked at the way my face was heating up. This, of course, only made my face heat up more as I handed him a water bottle.

"H-H-Here, Takashi-kun."

"Thank you."

He took the bottle from me and purposely made a show of drinking it, as he watched me out of the corner of his eyes. _H-He's teasing me. Mori is…teasing me! I don't know whether to be happy or angry.__** Stick to happy, kid.**_ I blinked a few times to clear my head and said a quiet goodbye to Mori as I headed over to give Tamaki the last water bottle, since he was the only one without one.

"Tamaki! Do you want some water?"

He looked over at me and nodded with a large smile, Antoinette barking happily at his side.

"Thank you, Ko-kun! Would you like to play with Antoinette with me?"

"R-Really?" _I get to play with his dog?!_

"Of course! I heard you really like animals, so why not?"

Smiling in return, Tamaki and I began running alongside Antoinette and playing around. It was fun and I enjoyed playing with her, missing my own dogs back home. _**I don't count?**_ I stopped running with Antoinette and instead ran over towards Fu-kun and picked him up with a chuckle.

"Don't get jealous, Fu-kun! You're always my favorite!"

He licked me on the nose as thanks just as the twins seduced Antoinette with doggie treats. I laughed and pet the dog as well, watching Kyoya tell Tamaki about the piano out of the corner of my eye. Just then though, Misuzu came over to me with a smile as I waved goodbye to Antoinette.

"Kohaku-kun, you can go on a break if you want. I know you've been working hard."

"Oh! Thanks, Misuzu-chan." I said with a smile.

He chuckled and leaned towards me. "just to let you know, you have the most refreshing points out of all these boys."

My face flushed a bit. "B-But I didn't do anything special."

Misuzu nodded. "That's right, but you don't need to _try_ to be refreshing."

I chuckled. "Okay. I'll try to remember that, Misuzu-chan."

"Good. Now go ahead and go on your break. You deserve it."

Nodding, I headed inside to grab some cool water and returned to the porch outside in order to find someplace peaceful to sit and enjoy my break. It helped that Tamaki was playing the piano, but my peacefulness ended short when I remembered what was supposed to happen next.

_I know Hikaru and Kaoru planned it, but Hikaru was truly scared for Kaoru. What should I do, Fu-kun? I can't stop it or else the twins won't get the room, but I don't want Kaoru to get hurt, nor do I want Hikaru to feel the way he did.__** Then don't do anything.**__ I can't just do nothing!_

"Kohaku?"

I looked up and realized that I had unconsciously walked over to where Karou was waiting.

"O-Oh, hey Kaoru. Where's Haruhi and Hikaru?"

He shrugged. "Dunno. Hikaru went to go get a garbage bag though."

_Fu-kun, could you go find Haruhi?__** Sure.**_ I watched Fu-kun go and turned back to Kaoru to find him raising an eyebrow at me.

"What's up with him?" He nodded towards where Fu-kun ran off.

"He went to go find Haruhi for me…why?"

"No reason. You two are just normally together."

"So are you and Hikaru." I pointed out, sipping from my water bottle.

"I guess. We've been together since we were born, and we didn't have any other friends. I mean, we used to think the world was only full of idiots until a few years ago."

"I know what you mean." I muttered.

Something about this seemed wrong though. _I swear those lines are familiar._

"But…if it's you, we'd let you in. Wanna sleep in our beds with us?"

I frowned. "Didn't I already do that when I spent the night?"

He smiled. "Did you? I don't remember."

_That's it! _My mind suddenly clicked everything into place._ This is when-__**Found Haruhi. She's in the kitchen.**__-the window!_

"Look out!" Someone shouted from above us.

Kaoru went to shove me to the ground in order to cover me, but I anticipated this, grabbed his arm, and pulled him around in front of me so that _I_ was covering _him_. The sound of the glass window breaking was loud and I knew the others would be here soon, so I quickly glared down at a shocked Kaoru.

"Planned or not, remember who has to sit back and watch it happen."

He seemed confused, but Hikaru interrupted us.

"Kaoru! Kohaku!"

I stood up and brushed myself off as the two brothers went on with their act.

"Kaoru! Are you hurt?!"

Kaoru checked, but shook his head. "No. I'm okay."

He turned to me, eyes widening as I recognized the light sting on my cheek. However, I just gave him a half-hearted glare and walked past the group of spectators that were arriving. Unfortunately, I bumped into someone on the way back.

"Kohaku?"

It was Haruhi.

"Not now, Haruhi." I muttered, going to step around her.

"Wait!" She grabbed my sleeve, causing me to stop. "What happened? What was that crash?"

"Haruhi, please." I pleaded, hoping to leave before I snapped at her.

"But-Kohaku…You're bleeding." Her hand touched a cut on my cheek and I winced, before yanking my hand out of her grip and walking off.

"Kohaku?"

I stopped, barely turning my head. "Tell Misuzu-chan I'm going to bed. I'll be up early to take care of things tomorrow."

She shakily nodded and I left, leaving Fu-kun with her for now.

* * *

**(No one's POV)**

Haruhi walked over to the other hosts and watched what was happening, all the while wondering what part Kohaku played in all of this. Just then, Misuzu clapped loudly.

"Refreshing brotherly love, cheers! One hundred refreshing points! The winners are the Hitachiin brothers!"

Tamaki, not surprisingly, fell to his knees depressed but Haruhi had a bone to pick with the twins. Something was up, and she was determined to get to the bottom of it.

"What did you two do?"

"**Huh?"**

"You know what I'm talking about! Kohaku just went upstairs and hardly spoke to me! He saved you, didn't he, Kaoru?"

Kaoru said nothing, so Haruhi went on.

"You two better go up there and apologize, especially if you two did this on purpose. Kohaku lost his whole family and if you two are playing around with your lives like this-Did you two even think about how he would feel?"

The twins stood there silently for a moment, hands intertwined, before they looked up at Haruhi's angry face.

"Alright, Haruhi…"

"…we'll go apologize."

She frowned. "You better. If he's not happy by tomorrow afternoon, you're both dead." She started to walk off, but stopped and handed Fu-kun to them. "Take him with you and _maybe_ Kohaku won't kill you both.

The twins and other hosts paled, before they all went their separate ways. As the twins walked, Kaoru tightened his grip on Hikaru's shaking hand.

"Hikaru…At least we didn't have to try the 'Refreshing Brothers Fight' strategy. Aren't we lucky?"

Hikaru nodded slowly, tightening his grip as well. "Yeah. You're right…You think Kohaku's really mad at us?"

Kaoru sighed. "Probably. We _did_ kind of screw up."

They stopped outside of Kohaku's door and frowned.

"What do we do now, Kaoru?"

"Knock?"

"But what if she's asleep?"

"I'm not."

Hikaru and Kaoru both jumped and unlocked their hands with nervous chuckles, allowing Kohaku to walk past them to get to her room.

"Oh! Hey…uh.." Hikaru started out.

"We're really sorry about before."

"Yeah. We didn't think it would upset you like this."

The room went quiet and Fu-kun suddenly scrambled off Kaoru's shoulder shoulders and up Kohaku's, as she sat Indian-style on her bed with her back to them. Fu-kun seemed to be almost whispering to Kohaku and twins grew more and more nervous as the seconds ticked by. Kohaku then sighed and waved a hand lazily.

"Go to bed, you two. I placed some blankets and a pillow on the floor, and I suggest you leave them there, should one of you accidentally push the other off."

Hikaru looked at Kaoru, silently asking him if it was alright to just leave, and Kaoru took a hesitant step forward.

"D-Does this mean we're…forgiven?"

The only answer they got was a short. "I'll think about it."

* * *

**(Kohaku's POV)**

An alarm went off and, in my bad mood, I picked it up and threw it. _Too early._ Regrettably, I had planned for this before I went to bed last night. So when I threw my alarm clock, it bounced off a couple of pillows and safely continued to ring. _I never thought I'd say this, but I hate myself for being so prepared._

With a groan, I sat up on the bed and stared blankly at my alarm clock on the floor. Finally convincing myself to get up, I yawned and shut the alarm off. Moving at a sluggish pace, I pulled on a white shirt, some jeans, and a black vest. Once I put some shoes on and let Fu-kun climb up to my shoulders, I tied my black apron around my waist and headed down the stairs to start setting up the café.

The chairs were taken down off the tables and I went ahead and set up the table cloths and center pieces as well. Grabbing a broom out of the closet, I swept the room and then went into the kitchen in order to wipe down the counters and start getting it set up for Misuzu. Just as I finished that, Misuzu came in with Tamaki, surprisingly. _I forgot he comes early today. _I yawned as I dried my hands on a towel and came out from behind the counter to greet the two of them.

"Morning." I mumbled, when Misuzu suddenly pulled me into a hug.

"Thank you so much, Kohaku-kun! It looks great!" He pulled away from me and looked me over. "And so do you! You make _quite_ the handsome waiter. Although it's a shame you hurt your face."

I was too tired to be embarrassed, but thanked him all the same.

"Thank you, Misuzu-chan." I then turned to Tamaki. "Morning."

He smiled brightly. "Good morning, Kohaku! I didn't expect you to be up already."

"Mn. But I promised since I went to bed early."

A kettle on the stove whistled and I turned to it, going to make myself something to wake me up. _Damn morning people. Always so happy and loud._ I thought as Misuzu then went about making me some breakfast as he always did, when I heard some footsteps on the stairs. The guests were waking up. With a sigh, I grabbed my notepad and went to take their order, leaving Fu-kun behind. But Misuzu stopped me.

"Kohaku-kun~"

I turned my head. "Hm?"

"Smile~"

I took a deep breath before nodding with a smile and then walked over to the table, where two ladies were sitting.

"G-Good morning, ladies." I smiled, noticing how their faces flushed slightly. "What would you like this morning?"

As I wrote down their orders, I kept that business smile on my face. _Just act like Kyoya. It's not that hard and I haven't stuttered as much since I got here, which is good. I might be finally coming out of my shyness._ leaving the ladies with a polite nod, I returned to the kitchen and dropped my smile.

"Here you go, Misuzu-chan."

Handing him their order, I sat back down and drank some tea as he laughed.

"Haha, thank you, Kohaku-kun. Here's your breakfast. Now make sure you work hard!"

I nodded, stuffing my mouth full of fruit and sausage while I still had a chance to eat before more guests came downstairs.

"Kohaku-kun, could you take this to those ladies?"

I nodded once more and took the tray of food from Misuzu, balancing it on one hand and holding a pitcher of orange juice in the other. Making my way to their table, I greeted a couple of the other guests as they came in and sat down.

"G-Good morning. I will be with you in a minute."

They nodded, blushing, as I smiled politely and set out the ladies' meals. As I went to get the others' orders, I caught sight of Haruhi tying a scarf over her head.

"Haruhi, would you mind getting the orders from tables six and two?"

"Sure thing, Kohaku."

Soon, the morning rush began to slow down and as I was refilling drinks, Hikaru and Kaoru came downstairs.

"Hey! I said I was sorry, didn't I, Kaoru?" Hikaru said, making his way over to an empty table. "I don't remember pushing you out. I couldn't help that-hey! Don't start faking tears!"

Kaoru sniffed, wiping tears from his eyes. "It's a good thing Kohaku likes me enough to think of my well-being. The floor would've been so cold without those blankets."

"You're welcome, Kaoru." I said, passing by to go collect the dishes from a table.

He smiled at my polite tone, knowing that I _had indeed_ forgiven them for yesterday. As they went to pester Haruhi, I ignored them in the hopes of being able to have a break before the lunch rush. _I need to think about why the plot changes yesterday. Not to mention Arai should be showing up soon._

"Good morning! Delivery from Arai Grocery!"

_Right on time._ I thought, and made my way back to the kitchen with Haruhi alongside me.

"Ph! Are you new? A high school student?" Misuzu asked as I stepped forward and took the box of vegetables from Arai.

"I'm from Tokyo. I came to work at my uncle's shop for the summer."

"How refreshing!" Misuzu said, handing the leftover food to Haruhi. "Haruhi-chan, will you put this in the fridge?"

"Sure."

"Eh? Haruhi-chan?…N-No way?!" Arai took off his cap, his face red in embarrassment. "Haruhi Fujioka?!"

Haruhi looked up at him in surprise. "Arai-kun?"

The twins and Tamaki knelt down to the ground next to the two, trying to figure out how they knew each other.

"Long time no see! It's been since middle school graduation, right?" Haruhi asked. "How are you?"

"W-Why are you here?!" Arai asked. _Rather rudely, if you ask me._ "And your hair! Did you get a hair cut?! Man, you shouldn't have! You had it so nice and long!"

"You think so?" Haruhi cocked her head to the side. "But it's easier to take care of this way."

Finally noticing the three hosts-_although they aren't hard to notice_-Arai smiled awkwardly.

"Um…Are these your friends?"

Haruhi nodded, gesturing to the three. "Yeah. Hikaru-kun and Kaoru-kun. They're my classmates and sen-" She cut herself off, bringing a hand to her mouth as she thought about what to call Tamaki. "An acquaintance." Is what she finally settled on, thus driving Tamaki into a depression.

She didn't mean to, obviously, but Haruhi can be a bit dense as to how her words effect people. Tamaki especially. I smiled at that and finished putting the vegetables in the fridge, when Haruhi pointed me out as well.

"Oh! And this is Kohaku…uh…" She seemed to be struggling as to whether she should call me 'he' or 'she', so I popped in first; holding out my hand to shake with a hesitant smile. _It's more fun to watch people figure it out._

"I-I live next door to her."

He kind of stared at my hand for a minute, and my brain finally registered that shaking hands was an American habit. _Crap._

"Sorry." I mumbled, going to pull my hand back when Arai suddenly grabbed it and began shaking it.

"So you're foreign? I kind of assumed with your hair. Is it dyed?"

"N-No."

"Oh, that's cool!" He smiled and released my hand, which I looked at in confusion, before glancing up at the hosts as he walked off with Haruhi.

Shaking my head, I went ahead and asked Misuzu for my break as the other hosts finally filed in. Now on my break, I grabbed a cool glass of ice water and sat down with the twins and the others.

"Hm." Kyoya hummed, bringing up his glass of tea. "Haruhi's friend from middle school, huh?"

I nodded, but Hikaru had a different opinion.

"You can't call him a friend if they haven't contacted each other since they graduated. They're nothing but classmates."

"Really?" I questioned. "But if they are classmates, wouldn't they still have to be in class together? I think 'acquaintances' or 'colleagues' would be a better word."

Honey smiled and went to take a bite of some cake. "It's a happy reunion!"

_For them. Looks like Tamaki's still in a bad mood._ I looked over at him and nearly laughed as he tore one of this guides into shreds; Fu-kun relaxing in the pile he was making.

"Not a senpai I'm merely an acquaintance." Tamaki moped.

Arai burst out laughing, holding his side. "These Ouran guys are really funny. That's a surprise. For such an elite school, I figured they would be otherworldly beings. Haha!"

I smiled a bit, finishing off my water, only for Misuzu to call out to me.

"Kohaku-kun, could you help me for a minute? I know you're on your break and all, but I could use the help."

I nodded, getting up from my seat, just catching Hikaru's comment about Arai.

"What the heck? A refreshing and pure attitude? Doesn't he know the refreshing tournament has already ended?"

I knocked him on the head with my fist lightly. "Behave."

He rubbed his head where I hit him and scoffed as I walked up to Misuzu.

"So what do you need?"

He smiled and I could feel the evil plot he already had formed in his head.

"Kyoya-kun told me you're an exceptional singer."

I immediately paled and waved my hands about in a panic. "O-Oh no. I-I-I don't sing in public."

Misuzu clutched his hands together and began begging. "Oh please! Look at my guests! They _need_ entertainment!"

_I knew throwing Tamaki at him was going to come back and bite me._ I groaned and turned my head away, Fu-kun snickering on my shoulders. _**Can't say 'no', can you?**__…No._

"H-How about I play the piano instead?"

He looked intrigued at that. "You play?"

"A little." I mumbled, scratching the Band-Aid on my cheek.

"Well then, why didn't you say so? The piano's right over here."

Misuzu pushed me over to the piano and plopped me down on the bench, before abandoning me with a wave. _Well that's just great. _I looked down at the keys and sighed. _There's only a few songs I know and almost all of them are soft, sad melodies. _Suddenly I remembered one, but bit my lip. _It's one that Tamaki plays…but it's the only one that'll work._ Taking a deep breath, I placed my fingers on the keys and began to play 'Nocturne pour Tamaki', hoping that playing it wouldn't effect the plot anymore than it already has been.

Eventually, as I played, I became more and more relaxed. I was no longer worried about who was watching or about changing the plot. In fact, I was _so_ lost in the music that I didn't notice who had just walked in and was heading my direction. That is, until I finished and felt a set of arms wrap around my waist and a pair of lips brush my cheek.

"Mm, I didn't know you played, Ko-chan~"

I quickly turned my head and was shocked to find Shindo, of all people, standing behind me with a large grin on his face. I wasn't sure whether to be surprised that he was here, or embarrassed that he still had his arms around my waist and that he kissed me on the cheek in front of _everyone here_.

"S-S-Shindo-kun?!"

"Nice to see you to, Ko-chan. You played great, by the way."

"T-Thanks, but what are you doing here?"

Before he could respond, Misuzu came over clapping his hands in excitement.

"Splendid! That was a wonderful performance, Kohaku-kun!"

I stood up and smiled slightly. "T-Thank you, Misuzu-chan."

"Of course." he then noticed Shindo, who had his hands back on my waist as I glared ta him. "And who's this?"

I sighed, gesturing to Shindo. "This is my friend Shindo Yamanaka. Shindo-kun, this is Misuzu-chan. My temporary boss for the summer."

"Nice to meet you, Misuzu-chan." he smiled. "What a lovely apron you're wearing."

_Oh here he goes. _I thought.

"Oh! And a gentleman as well." Misuzu swooned. "Kohaku-kun, enjoy your break with your boyfriend here. I'll try not to bother you two~"

"He's not my boyfriend!: I called out after him, but he ignored me as Shindo chuckled in my ear.

"Well then, since Misuzu-chan was so generous, let's sit down and chat, Ko-chan. I want to know where you got that cut from."

I rolled my eyes, but allowed him to keep a hand on my waist and lead me back over to a table near where the twins were seated as I explained what happened. _No need to have him angry at the twins._ But then, I noticed the other hosts were all over by Arai and Haruhi, and mentally cringed. _This is when Hikaru gets hit. I'll definitely have to see how he's doing later._ Two pools of emerald green flooded my vision and I backed up a bit with a deep blush.

"W-What are you doing, Shindo-kun?!"

He chuckled, sitting back in his seat. "just checking to see if you're home. You zoned out there for a minute."

"R-Right." I said nervously, rubbing the back of my neck. "But, uh, why are you here, Shindo-kun?"

"I've been helping out my aunt. She owns a flower shop nearby, but she hurt her ankle so I've been running the place while she recovers. I was just passing by when I saw this little cutie playing piano in the window."

"C-C-Cutie? I-I'm not-I mean-"

"Please, Ko-chan." he said, putting his head in the palm of his hand while his elbow rested on the table. "We went over this, remember? Just because _you_ don't think you're cute doesn't mean that there's no one out there who does. You're cute to me, just the way you are."

I blushed a bright, cherry red and I covered the lower half of my face in an attempt to hide it as Shindo smiled softly at me. _How many times? _I thought. _How many times have I wanted to hear that? How long have I wished to have someone tell me that, and here Shindo is doing that very thing. I-I know he still likes me, but…I don't know if I like him that way or not…To hear those words though…Maybe I do?…_

"Hikaru! Kaoru! Come over here!" Tamaki called out, interrupting my thought. "Kohaku! Shindo-kun! You too! It's a precious opportunity to hear about Haruhi back in middle school! I want to hear about Kohaku's middle school life too!"

"No thanks!" Hikaru replied rudely, while Kaoru sipped at his drink. "Not interested. It's dumb anyway."

Knowing and sensing what was going to happen next, I tried to at least _warn _Hikaru of the trouble he was going to be in.

"H-Hikaru, you should sto-"

He just spoke over me. "I don't get it. Why do all these old stories excite you? Besides, can't that guy tell that she's not interested?"

I cringed as Haruhi scooted her chair back and began walking over as Hikaru went on.

"Haruhi's heart has no room for-"

_Slap!_

The whole room went deadly silent and I grit my teeth and clenched my fists in the fabric of my pants. I felt bad for Hikaru. Sure, he was being rude, but he was only doing what he felt was necessary to keep his close friend. I knew what he was going through and had often dealt with a similar situation. Not so much having my friends taken, but having to stand back and watch my friends enjoy themselves with someone else while jealousy burned in my chest. So Hikaru's anger was understandable. _I just wish there was something I could do.__** I know, kid.**_

"Hikaru, that's not something you decide." Haruhi scolded. "I won't let you insult my friend any further."

"Come on…Who cares about other people?! Look, we're the ones who are your friends!"

Haruhi was…in shock, for lack of better words, as Hikaru ran up the stairs with his brother following after him. I had apparently stood up as well to watch the brothers ascend the stairs. It was only when Shindo took a hold of my hand, that I was dragged back to Earth.

"You okay?" He asked.

"Y-yeah." My hand tightened around his for a moment before I felt someone glaring at me.

It wasn't hard to find out who, seeing the glare of Kyoya's glasses in my peripheral vision, but I was surprised to see Mori glaring a little as well. _That's odd._ Something brushed my cheek again and a blush crept it's way up my face.

"You really should stop thinking so much, Ko-chan." Shindo smiled, obviously pleased that he managed to sneak in another kiss.

"And you should stop doing that." I grumbled, releasing his hand to rub my cheek. "All you're doing is making Kyoya-kun angry."

Shindo winked. "Maybe that's the point."

I raised a brow, confused. "Why would you want to make him angry?"

"I don't know…To see how he reacts?"

I sighed and began to walk with him and the hosts out the door to say goodbye.

"He's just going to hate me for a while. I don't see why you're doing this."

He laughed, turning around to face me. "That's okay, Ko-chan. You'll figure it out~"

I frowned. "Now I _really_ want to know."

"Well then, I'll give you a hint." He leaned forward, grabbing my face in his hands.

I expected him to kiss me on the lips and was scared for a moment, but he just kissed me on the cheek again and whispered into my ear.

"_He's jealous."_ He pulled back and smiled once more. "Hope to see you again sometime, Ko-chan. Come visit the shop if you have a chance."

""Y-Y-Yeah." I stuttered out, trying to keep the blush on my face under control. _Jealous? Kyoya can't be jealous._

He left with a wave, I hesitantly returned, while the hosts did the same with Arai. I hadn't even noticed Kaoru came over to stand next to me.

"Take care!" Said Haruhi.

"Bye bye!" Honey replied.

As soon as Shindo and Arai were out of sight, Haruhi called Kaoru out on his trick.

"Kaoru, why are you pretending to be Hikaru?"

Kaoru sweat dropped as Haruhi turned around to glare at him.

"Hikaru has yet to recover his spirit…By the way, I want to ask you a favor, Haruhi."

"Hm?"

"Would you spend the whole day together with me tomorrow?"

"**Huh?!"** The hosts-mostly Tamaki-shouted.

"I guess. Sure."

_Ah, Haruhi and her blunt straightforward responses._ I thought as my mind took a turn for the worst. _What about what Shindo said? There's no way Kyoya's jealous…but if he is, what's he jealous about? It makes no sense! Plus, I still need to figure out why the plot changed. Is it just because I'm here? Is it going to change even more because of me? Gah! Too many questions!_ I touched the Band-Aid on my cheek and jumped when Kaoru spoke from beside me; the other hosts having gone back inside.

"Does it hurt?" He said, before quickly apologizing for scaring me. "Sorry."

I shook my head. "It's okay. I've been pretty spacy today…But it doesn't hurt. It's hardly noticeable."

"I'm sorry."

"There's no need to apologize a second time, Kaoru. I already forgave you and Hikaru, didn't I?" I said with a smile.

He laughed a bit, rubbing the back of his head. "Yeah. I guess you're right. I just feel bad, you know? It's our fault you got hurt."

"Not really. I mean, either way someone would've gotten hurt, but I made a choice and chose to protect you instead of the other way around. So _technically_ it's my own fault."

"I…suppose that's true." He said, being careful as to how he said it, not wanting to offend me.

"What about you, Kaoru?"

"Hm?" he questioned as I led us both over to a table.

"Are _you_ okay?"

He sat down, a bit confused. "Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?"

I sighed, wishing I had grabbed a drink before I came out here. _Fu-kun?__** Ugh, really?**__ Please~__** Fine, but you owe me. **__bananas, strawberries, or pudding?__** Hm…strawberries. **__Okay. After the dinner rush I'll grab some for you. __**One bottled water coming up.**_I gave Fu-kun a nod as he dashed off, enjoying the odd look from Kaoru.

"You…Can you really…you know…"

"Talk to him? Yes. I've told you guys that before, but you just think I'm crazy, I'm sure. I'm surprised Kyoya-kun hasn't locked me up in one of his hospitals."

He opened his mouth, but I cut him off.

"It's fine. I don't really mind what you or other people think."

He rolled his eyes. "Right, well I _am_ okay though."

"No you aren't."

"I am!"

"No, you're just making yourself _think_ you're okay. And I'm saying you're not."

He frowned in confusion. "How could you know I'm not, when I don't even know I'm not?"

_Ah, he's thinking now.__** You're starting to sound like and old man with all your riddles. **_Fu-kun said as he returned with my water. I mentally frowned at the ferret and flicked him on the head. _I'm twenty. Don't call me old._ I then smiled at Kaoru.

"I know more than you think, Kaoru. Like right now. You shouldn't just give up, you know."

"Give up on what?"

"Haruhi."

A bit blunt, I'm sure, but he quickly connected the dots.

"Wha-I don't-"

"Yes. You do. You and your brother have similar tastes, remember? You two almost always seem to like the same things. I'm just telling you that, while it's okay to try and teach Hikaru a lesson…don't give up on your own happiness, okay?"

He seemed shocked for a moment, but slowly eased into a smile. "Yeah. I'll keep that in mind, Kohaku. Thanks."

I grinned as well and stood up. "Of course. I better get back to work though, before Misuzu-chan realizes my break's over."

I opened the door, just as Kaoru called back. "Kohaku, don't forget your own happiness either!"

Looking back at him, I smiled. "I'll try."

* * *

The next morning I was not happy, having been awoken by a couple of twin maids, courtesy of Kaoru. Needless to say, I put my anger and kickboxing skills to use and tied them up in my sheets rather easily. I was actually going to deliver the two of them to Kaoru personally, but I was tired and instead fell back asleep. I wasn't out long though, before the door opened and I glared at the intruder who paled at the sight of his bound maids.

"Woah." Kaoru met my glare. "Uh, Kohaku? You need to get up now."

I scowled and didn't move, unnerving Kaoru, who shifted uneasily.

"O-Okay then. I'll, uh, just leave these here. You can wear them when you get up…"

Kaoru set some clothes out, grabbed his maids, and quickly hurried out the door. I simply scoffed and went back to sleep, waking up a few hours later when someone began shaking my shoulder. I glared again, but Mori was unaffected.

"You need to get up." He said in his usual monotone.

"What for?" I grumbled. "I'm tired. Go away."

"We're leaving soon. They sent me to wake you."

"Chickens." I muttered, closing my eyes again as another voice spoke up from the doorway.

"You'll never get him up that way, Mori-senpai. It'd be easier if you told him that brunch was ready and that he wouldn't get any if he didn't hurry."

Immediately, I sat up and snarled at Kyoya's smirking face; my blankets covering my body like a hooded cloak.

"Get out. I need to change."

Mori nodded, whereas Kyoya just left, but I was out and in the kitchen in less than five minutes. I quickly grabbed some food, not hesitating in stealing the last waffle before Honey could so much as _think_ about it. Fu-kun, as it turns out, was hanging out with him today anyway and I felt like they both knew something that they weren't telling me.

"Uh, Kohaku?"

I glanced up blankly, looking over Kaoru in his 'local boy' get up.

"Do you even know what's going on?"

I set my fork down on my empty plate with a nod. "We're going to follow Haruhi on her date with Hikaru to make sure everything is going as it should. I may be tired, but that doesn't make me stupid." I snapped, snatching a bowl of peaches.

"R-Right…Are you always like this in the morning?"

"I'd be better if you hadn't sent in those two maids. Forcing me to be actively moving that early ticks me off."

Kaoru paled, realizing his mistake. "I-I'll try to remember that."

"That would be wise." I yawned, before standing up and heading towards the door. "We better go if we don't want Tamaki to have a panic attack."

I nodded my head at said host, as he muttered to himself and paced relentlessly back and forth in front of the pension gates. The other hosts sweat dropped, but headed out as well and it wasn't long before we caught up to where Hikaru and Haruhi were at.

"Kaoru…so what's this for?" Tamaki questioned.

_Yeah, are these outfits really necessary? Though, I must say, I got the best out of the group, I think._ I thought to myself, looking down at the clothes I was wearing.

"We're going to tail them, of course. Can't you tell, stupid?"

Tamaki snapped, grabbing Kaoru from the front of his shirt. "I'm asking why Haruhi had to date Hikaru! Why does this have to take place after what happened yesterday!?"

"Hey! Be quiet!"

Honey, being the ever smart cause of disasters, called out to the two. "This might be Haru-chan's first date ever!"

I sighed and looked up at Mori. "Does he know he's only making things worse?"

Mori glanced down at me and then over at Honey.

"Probably." He replied.

"Thought so." I sweat dropped, before I was grabbed and pulled into an alleyway when Hikaru and Haruhi looked our way.

I simply rolled my eyes. "Wouldn't it be less suspicious to walk around like normal people and just keep our faces hidden?"

Kyoya answered this time. "The two who came up with this plan aren't exactly the smartest of the bunch."

"No kidding." I muttered, listening to Kaoru as he went to explain everything to Tamaki.

"Look, Tono…I think it's a good thing for Hikaru to find more people who matter to him. For a long time, we were concerned only with ourselves. We're exceptionally codependent, and we tend to shut out everyone else. We've never cared how others felt, and that's how we became who we are today. Hikaru is especially immature. He acts out his feelings without restraint. Tono, you didn't seem to mind it, so I let him be."

I slapped a hand to my face. _Really Kaoru?_

"I don't think Hikaru is conscious of it," He went on. "but he really cares about Haruhi a lot. But all he knows is how to throw his feelings at others, so he ends up acting like a possessive kid. Even when he wants recognition as a friend, he doesn't know how to go about it." Kaoru put a hand to his head. "If he wants to be a real friend, he's got to respect the feelings of others too. So I think Hikaru has to learn the basics of personal interaction."

"Kaoru…" Tamaki said, shocked at Kaoru's speech. "You're awesome. When did you grow up to be such a great kid? Any fever?" he cooed, putting a hand to Kaoru's forehead.

"Thing is," Kaoru explained, pushing Tamaki's hand off him. "I didn't realize any of this myself until recently."

"In other words, today's date is meant as a trial for Hikaru to learn some compassion." Kyoya concluded as I nodded.

"That's what it looks like."

"It's like a fantasy movie!" Honey shouted, excitedly.

"That's right! That's why I don't want any of you to interfere! If you do, you're _dead_!" Kaoru pointed at us seriously and Tamaki 'eep'ed in fear.

He wasn't _that_ afraid though and he knelt down next to Kaoru, who had taken out a set of binoculars.

"If that's the case, we don't have to follow them, do we?"

"It's more fun this way."

I smiled a bit at that as we began moving to follow the couple. I noticed Tamaki lag behind for a moment and stopped beside him to look up at the faraway clouds as well.

"Misuzu-chan said it might rain."

He nodded. "Yeah. I was just hoping the sun would stay with us."

With that note, we both caught up with the group and ducked around a corner to listen in on Hikaru and Haruhi's conversation. I, personally, was bored. I did, after all, already know what was going to happen and that kind of took the fun out of everything. _Makes me wonder how I got through it all before this. Especially since there's nothing I want to change here._

Pulling a hand through my hair, I sighed and walked out of the alleyway just as Mori had to dash out and snatch up Honey, disguised as an old ice cream man. I smiled but then headed over to a nearby food stand, ignoring the other hosts who were going towards the ice cream shop.

Looking over the food, I silently debated on what I should get. _Hm, I'll stay away from the pickled vegetables but the fruit and snacks look good…Is that dango?!_ I quickly ordered some and plopped one in my mouth, enjoying the sweet taste.

"Kohaku?"

I glanced to my right to find Mori rubbing his head in confusion.

"Hm? Is something wrong?"

He nodded. "The others."

I knew what he meant and sighed. "They ditched us, didn't they?"

"Ah."

"Well, what do you want to do? We could head back to the pension, or we could…look around for a bit?"

I glanced up at him, hopeful, and he smiled.

"They can wait."

I smiled back and then handed him a piece of dango on a stick. "You think Honey-kun would like this?"

He leaned over and grabbed my wrist so that he could eat the dango off the stick; a blush forming on my cheeks at the contact. He chewed for a minute before nodding.

"Ah. It's sweet."

Keeping my blush under control, I asked for some more and took the bag, planning on giving it to Honey when we returned. Once I did that, the two of us began walking around the town.

"Hey Takashi-kun?"

"Takashi." He said, making the redness in my face creep back up.

"T-Takashi…I know Honey-kun likes sweets, but what do you like?"

He was silent and I waited patiently, knowing that he was just thinking over what I asked carefully to get the right answer.

"I like…_some_ sweet things, but I like traditional and sour things too."

"Oh!" I exclaimed. "Then I know what you'll like!"

Taking his hand unconsciously, I pulled him towards another food stand and grabbed one of the samples and held it out towards him

"Try this!"

We repeated the same process we did with the dango, blush and all, and Mori ate it looking surprised.

"It's good."

"Y-Yeah. I don't like pickled foods or veggies very much, but I thought you'd like the pickled yam because it's not really sweet and not really sour either."

He smiled down at me and ruffled my hair, and I laughed before buying some pickled yams for him.

"I'll pay." He offered, but I shook my head.

"No. It's okay. I'm fine paying. Besides, it's not a gift if you pay for it."

"Ah." He relented, and we went down the road, determined to enjoy ourselves after our friends ditched us here.

What we didn't know, was that it had been done on purpose and while two of them were happy about their plan, there was one who was less than pleased.

* * *

**(No one's POV)**

The hosts returned to the pension and while Tamaki was pacing back and forth with worry, Honey and Kaoru were sitting at a table discussing what they had just done.

"So you think they're getting along okay?"

Honey nodded, taking a bite of his cake. "Mm-hm! Ko-chan's really nice and Takashi too."

Kaoru hummed. "That's true. And they haven't came back yet, so they must be having fun. I just wish these two would do the same."

They both looked behind them as Tamaki grew more and more frantic and Kyoya's typing grew more and more aggressive. Kaoru shivered and turned back to Honey.

"Kyoya's obviously figured it out."

"Mm-hm. He's kind of scary."

"No kidding."

Thunder rumbled as rain began to pour down and Tamaki suddenly stopped his pacing to look out the window worriedly. As he resumed his pacing, Kaoru and Honey moved over to the window to see lightning streak across the sky.

"Incredible lightning." Kaoru said, holding a hand to his head to get a better look out the window. "I hope everyone found shelter."

Kyoya pushed up his glasses, still angry it seemed. "They probably got a taxi and are on their way here."

"Tamaki-kun, you seem nervous." Misuzu said, looking concerned.

"Maybe I should go pick them up…"

Just then though, Kaoru's phone went off.

"Oh? It's Hikaru…hey, Hikaru?"

"Kaoru? Will you send a car and a towel?" Hikaru's voice rang out over the phone along with the sound of the pounding rain.

"Eh? Are you coming on foot? What about Haruhi?"

"She…She started talking to that stupid Arai guy so I left."

Kaoru was shocked. "You got in a fight and left?!"

Tamaki immediately stopped and snatched the phone from Kaoru.

"You didn't see her get in the car, did you? If not, go back! Go back and find Haruhi!"

Everyone in the pension ceased what they were doing and watched Tamaki get extremely serious as he shouted at Hikaru over the phone.

"Huh?" Hikaru complained. "No, Tono. Not in this thunder storm."

"You jerk! Go back right now! How _dare _you leave a girl behind in the rain! Before you throw a fit like some jealous brat, think about how others might feel! Haruhi' is afraid of thunder!"

Tamaki hung up angrily and turned to the other shocked hosts.

"We're going after them."

Everyone nodded as Kyoya called up a car, when yet another phone went off.

"Oh! It's Takashi!" honey said. "Hello?"

"Mitsukuni…Kohaku."

"Ko-kun's gone too?!"

"…Ah."

Honey nodded. "Okay, we'll look for her too. Keep an eye out for Haru-chan too! Her and Hika-kun are out there still."

"Ah." Mori replied before he hung up as well.

Honey put his phone away and looked up at everyone with teary eyes.

"What are we going to do? Haru-chan's afraid of thunder and Ko-kun's alone too!"

Kyoya scowled. "Our first priority is finding Haruhi. You guys go and look for her and I will locate Kohaku."

The hosts were too frantic to notice the suffix Kyoya dropped, but Kaoru caught it. "Alone?" He questioned and Kyoya nodded.

"Yes. Haruhi ran out in a blind panic and will be harder to find. Kohaku is smart enough to stay in plain sight even if he _is_ lost. Either way though, we'd best hurry. The storm is getting worse."

Everyone nodded and ran outside, climbing into one limo while Kyoya got into another. He then pulled out his phone and began trying to see if he could track Kohaku by her phone but, when he saw where it was, he grew frustrated and threw his phone into the seat across from him.

"That _idiot_! Didn't he know we'd be going out? Why did he leave his phone at the pension?!"

Kyoya took off his glasses and rubbed his face in exasperation. He needed to calm down, but he'd been holding back his pent up rage since he noticed Mori and Kohaku missing from the group. What's more, when he brought up the two missing hosts, Kaoru and Honey just blew it off. That was when he figured it out.

_Those two had planned on leaving Mori and Kohaku there from the beginning._ The thing was, Kyoya didn't know why he was so angry about that. Something inside him just started building up in rage and he grew angrier the more he thought about it. _Why_ though, he couldn't understand.

_I don't hate Mori. I actually rather enjoy his company. He's a lot more tolerable than the others…but lately he's been getting on my nerves for no apparent reason. And it's only when he's around _him_. _Kyoya growled and leaned his head back against the leather seats, not bothering to replace his glasses. _Why do I even care about him? There's nothing special about Kohaku. He's just another commoner with a bit of intelligence. There's nothing interesting about that. If anything, he's frustrating! No information about him at all and the way he challenges me just-it just…_

"Driver, pull over."

"But sir-"

"Just do it." Kyoya ordered.

The driver reluctantly pulled the limo up to the curb and got out to hand Kyoya and open umbrella, but Kyoya just stepped out into the rain and sent the driver away with a wave of his hand. He just needed some air, he decided, and ignored the rain soaking through his white shirt. _Besides, the sooner I find this brat, the sooner I can get some answers as to what this is._

* * *

**(Kohaku's POV)**

_Well, this isn't good._ I thought, looking up at the sky as the first few drops of rain began to fall. I kept walking though. After all, it was the only thing I could do. I was completely lost. It's not my fault though. Nope. I blame Shindo.

You see, Mori and I had been having fun until he offered to buy me some ice cream. Mori went to get some while I waited on a bench nearby, when I noticed a small crowd gathered over by a shop. I mentally promised Mori that I'd be back and headed over to see what all the commotion was about. Turns out, it was a flower shop…_Shindo's aunt's_ flower shop.

Needless to say, Shindo ended up dragging me in to meet his eccentric aunt and I stayed longer than I probably should have. Especially since the moment I went back to the bench, Mori was nowhere in sight. I tried looking for him, but I only ended up lost, which brings me back to where I am now.

"Where the hell _am I_?"

I had left my phone at the pension, not expecting to have gone on an excursion with Mori-as fun as it was-but now I was regretting it. Lightning flashed and I began counting.

"One, one thousand. Two, one thousand. Three-"

Thunder rumbled loudly and I frowned

"Well, that's not good. I better get out of the forested area and back down the road." I mumbled to myself, turning around and heading back down the road I was on. I didn't know if this was the right way back to town, but it wouldn't hurt to try. _The worst that could happen would be I get more lost._

"Stupid weather." I grumbled, kicking a stone.

I didn't even have a jacket because Kaoru had picked out my clothes, but shorts with a black t-shirt and a thin white button up were not exactly rain clothes. Thunder rumbled again, louder and I scowled up at the sky.

"Yeah! I heard you! You think you're so powerful! You're just a bunch of noise!" I shouted, frustrated with my overall predicament.

I then sighed, shivering as a breeze cut through my clothing.

"I bet everyone's found Haruhi and Hikaru by now. Heck, Mori's probably back at the pension wondering where I am…if he doesn't hate me…or think I ditched him." I paused in my depressed thoughts and took a seat on the ground in front of a small abandoned cottage, pulling my knees close and resting my head on them. "Heh, I bet Kyoya-kun's laughing at me for getting lost. He probably thinks I'm an idiot."

"You are an idiot."

"Shut up." I mumbled. "I know I'm an idiot."

There was silence for a moment, the only sound being the rain and thunder, when my mind suddenly clicked into place and I quickly looked up to find Kyoya's frowning face.

"Kyoya!"

He raised a brow at the dropped suffix, but I could care less, just happy to have been found.

"It took you long enough." I smiled, but I slowly dropped the grin as Kyoya glowered down at me.

_He's mad at me? Why? Because I got lost?_ I got up and stepped towards Kyoya, tilting my head to try and see past the rain covered lenses hiding his eyes. I noticed that he was completely soaked too and silently wondered how long he had been out here looking for me.

"Kyoya? I-If you're mad about me getting lost, I'm sorry. Takashi and I got separated so I went looking for him and-"

"You _infuriate_ me." He growled out and I flinched at his tone, flashing back to the incident at the beach house.

"S-Sorry?"

He ignored my apology and took a step forward as I took a step back.

"You challenge me so blatantly and change personalities on a whim if it will help you get closer to people." Another step forward, another step back. "You hide your intelligence and are completely clueless in life." _W-What's going on? I don't get it!_ "You get lost easily, yet you wander around without your phone."

I was getting scared now. Kyoya looked absolutely livid and I had nowhere I could go.

"You lost your family, but you still smile and hide everything as though nothing's wrong. You say you're afraid of people, yet you let them get so close so easily. My mind is thinking about you constantly and I get angry for no reason. Whatever it is you are doing, I want you to stop. _Now._"

"I-I'm not doing anything! I don't know what you're talking about!" I took a step back, but slipped in some mud and landed on my back with something heavy on top of me.

"This is _exactly_ what I'm talking about."

My face turned bright red as I looked up at Kyoya's glasses-less face mere centimeters from my own. I expected him to get off me right away, but he didn't budge and my heart sped up without warning.

"K-K-Kyoya?"

His eyes went to mine as he pushed himself up on his arms, searching my eyes for something, and not quite getting off me either. His eyes though…there was something different about them and something told me it wasn't just because his glasses fell off. They seemed….confused about something. _Me? He's confused about me?_

"I despise you, Kohaku." He said, not as harshly as before, but his voice hid something that I couldn't quite figure out. "I despise you so much."

Then, something completely unexpected happened. Kyoya Ootori. _The_ Kyoya Ootori leaned forward and pressed his lips harshly to mine.

* * *

A figure stood nearby, frozen at the scene that played out before him as a boiling pit of jealousy raged in his stomach. Eyes pinned on the two figures in the mud, Takashi Morinozuka grit his teeth before turning away and returning to the limo parked nearby in order to return to the pension. He wasn't going to give up yet though. No. He was going to take her back from the Shadow King whatever the cost.


End file.
